Life of Uzumaki Naruto
by VenomLord
Summary: At the age of 5 Naruto has a tragic encounter with the Villagers of Konoha. During which he meets the Kyubi for the first time, and changes his life forever.
1. Prologue

The Life of Uzumaki Naruto

_Thoughts_

_**Demon/Inner Self**_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, or get any profit from writing this story. I do this for my own purpose of having fun.

**Author Note: **This is an AU story, so some people will more then likely not act the same way they do in the Manga and Anime. I am not sure about Pairings yet, though if I do create any, it will more then likely start with Naruto/Hinata, and branch out from there. This is also my first try at writing any kind of story, so hopefully I can do something good, or at least half way decent.

**Summary:** At the age of 5 Naruto has a tragic encounter with the Villagers of Konoha. During which he meets the Kyubi for the first time, and changes his life forever.

Prologue: Night of Terror and Discovery

_Why, why are they after me? Why do they treat me like this and call me a demon?_

That is all that was going through the mind of a young boy as he ran from villagers. Some of them Ninjas, some farmers, shopkeepers, and many other professions that can be found in the Hidden Leaf village. The only thing each of these people, men and women had in common was the fact they were all chasing down a 5 year old child.

Naruto was running for his life, he had cuts from kunai and shurikens all over his body, as well as other objects that had been thrown at him. He did not understand why though, he just wanted to come out and enjoy the festival like everyone else. The people always celebrated this day, the day that the Kyubi was defeated by their great leader, and the day that they lost their greatest hero, the Yondaime Hokage and his defeat of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, Kyubi.

That is, the Yondaime sealing the Kyubi inside of a human child, and dieing from the process of doing so. That child was the one who was currently being chased down by the villagers for trying to take part in the festival.

The villagers saw this as an insult, the demon child coming to mourn and take part in this festival. So they did what anyone would do to an unwelcome guest, they chased him away and told him to leave. That would have been the end of it, if many of them had not already been drunk from Sake, and other forms of alcohol that they enjoy on such occasions. These people decided to take it further, and chase the child down, and make sure he remembered not to come. Some even went to make sure they child would never see another day in his life.

This is what brings us to the young Naruto running down alleys and down the streets of the village. He was running for his life, and he had no idea why. The villagers were slowly catching up to him, and he had no idea what to do. He had some luck early on by hiding under a shop cart, but the crazed villagers did not give up their hunt so easily, and found him once again as he crawled out from underneath it. After that he never had the chance to hide again.

His only thought was to try to get to, or find someone that could help him. Going back to the orphanage would not help, since he was kicked out as soon as he was able to walk and talk easily. No villager was willing to help him, even if he was just a 5 year old child. His clothes were barely hanging onto his small frame, with his bones showing from lack of food. His clothes hardly enough to keep him warm in the coming season. His blonde hair was dirty, with specks of dirt all over it, and flying every where. His eyes were tearing up from the sadness he felt as he was running, as well as from all of the pain from his cuts, bruises, and a few broken bones.

Since he had been kicked out of the Orphanage, he has had to fend for himself on the streets. Living off of anything he could find, and use without being beaten. Only able to bath in the rivers and ponds on the outskirts of the village, and eating off of what he could find in the garbage bins and trash cans. To say he had a horrible time so far in his life would be a gross understatement.

_There, maybe if I can get around the corner I can find a place to hide_. Thought the young Naruto. As he turned the corner into another side street he saw the last thing he ever wanted to see. Crazed and drunk villagers and Leaf Ninjas, with all kinds of weapons.

_NO! what do I do now.. I can't fight them. Maybe I can get them to leave me alone somehow._ Naruto stopped in his tracks looking around. As he was, a Ninja came walking up, his Hitaiate was tied around his bicep, and engraved with the symbol of the Leaf. He had black hair that fell over his eyes, barely concealing them. He had dark brown eyes, that held a look of pure hatred when they fell on Naruto. He was nearly twice as tall as Naruto, and wore a dark green shirt, with a black vest over it. The vest had pockets from a few scrolls, and space to have a few extra shuriken and kunai to be tucked in. He had on baggy black pants, that reached down to just past his knees. On the right leg was a shuriken holster strapped on just above his knee. On the left leg was another holster, for kunai, and strapped to his mid-thigh. He had his ankles up to the middle of his calf wrapped in bandages, with black ninja sandals on his feet.

Naruto knew looking at this man, and the others in the street that his chances of getting out had just vanished like a leaf in the wind. He was still thinking of something to do when the ninja spoke up.

"Well, you gave us a good chase, but now it is time to end this demon. We will not let you walk around our village any longer. We should have done this after the Fourth died. Sadly the Third wouldn't let us. Well now he isn't here to protect you, and no one else is going to stop us from doing what needs to be done."

Naruto was stunned, from the way this person was talking he got the feeling that they were going to do something far worse then just beat him. _No, they wouldn't do that.. Would they? Before now the only thing people would do would beat me until I couldn't move or get up while they were around me. But.. This man.. He makes it sound like they are going to…_

His thoughts were interrupted here as other villagers started shouting, "Kill the demon! Enough talk, lets kill it!" That was when Naruto was sure that he would not be leaving this place alive.

As soon as he thought this, they started throwing rocks, knifes, daggers, kunai, shuriken, bottles, anything they could at him. Those that were closer to him moved in, and started to punch him in the head, chest, stomach, any where they could. Others kicked him in the same areas. It did not take much to finally get him down on the ground. From there they started to stomp on his arms, legs, and the rest of his body. The whole time Naruto was shouting as loud as he could, " Please stop! I didn't do anything wrong! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!." He repeated this over and over. He even continued to do this when he started to cough, and blood flying from his mouth.

One of the ninjas in the crowd tired to the yelling, and worrying that someone might hear, and try to help him moved forward with a kunai in hand. As he neared Naruto he placed the kunai to the child's throat and pushed, just barely cutting the vocal cords, and ending his pleas for help. From then all there was only the sound his gurgling coming from the boy.

This continued for several minutes before a voice behind all the irate people bellowed out in a deep and booming voice, "Hey what do you think you are doing? He is only a child, and it takes all of you to do this? You call yourselves men and women, let along Shinobi of this village? Get away from him, and leave him alone." While saying this, a man came walking from a small shop/house on the other side of the street, which the name Ichiraku Ramen on the awning in front of it. He was trying to push his way through the crowd of people, and not doing a good job. After catching a glimpse of Naruto down on the ground he turned towards his shop and yelled.

"Ayame, run and get the Hokage, and try to find some help. RUN! Hurry, this kid may not last much longer!". With that said, his daughter took off in search of the Hokage and help for her father. She ran down the street yelling for help, and calling for the Anbu to come.

Back with her father, he still had not made it half way through the crowd, and was fearing how much longer the young blonde could hold out. He was still fighting through the crazed people when he was hit in the back of his head with some unknown object, and feel to the ground. He landed face first on the ground, and felt the back of his head. Bringing his hand to where he can see it, he saw his own blood. As he tried to stand back up, he was pulled to the back of the crowd and tied up by many of the villagers. Once the villagers were done they spoke saying, "You are lucky we don't kill you along with the demon brat there. We got no room in this village for those who would protect the likes of him. Now just sit here and watch as we finally kill that brat".

With those last words spoken, they tied a piece of cloth around his mouth to prevent his cries of protest and anger.

Back with Naruto, he was barely able to keep his eyes open. They were slowly closing as he lost his grip on any conscious thoughts. The last thing he saw was himself curling up in a fetal position in an attempt to stay alive just a little longer, and lessen the damage being done to him. Finally his vision faded, and he no longer saw the alley crowded with people calling for his death. Instead he found himself in a hallway, looking around he noticed pools of water, that went up to his ankles. There was very little light for him to see, and many pipes going back and forth down the hall. He was laying in a puddle of water, and wondering where he was when he heard a voice calling him.

"_**Pup, walk down the hall, and follow it. Follow the sound of my voice. Please hurry, we have much to talk about, and very little time to do it. Now stand, and move as fast as you can."** _

After hearing that Naruto tried to stand, thinking it would be impossible. To his surprise he was able to stand up, even more so he was able to walk. Discovering this he hurried down the hall in the direction of the voice. Something about the voice made him feel everything would be okay. His was warm, and sounded worried, and caring at the same time. It almost sounds like the wind blowing through the leaves of the forest. Most of all, the voice made him feel safe, something that he had never known before, even while in the Orphanage, where he was bullied, and beaten by the workers and other children. Of course none of the was punished, instead Naruto was punished for what they did, and all the blame of the event placed on him. While thinking this, Naruto came to the end of the hall, and froze in amazement at the sight before him.

In front of Naruto was a large cage. The front of the cage was facing Naruto, and was large enough to put the old Orphanage he lived in inside of it. The cage doors had a single piece of paper that read, SEAL, on it. Naruto was amazed at where such a thing could come from. As he walked closed he noticed he could hear a soft _swishing_ sound, like a fan or a tail of an animal being moved from side to side. The room had a few torches on the walls, but not enough to show what could be inside of the monstrous cage in front of him. He also noticed that here still, were puddles of water, some reaching up to over his ankles, and almost to his calves. He walked through slowly towards the cage.

When he was halfway to the cage the voice from before spoke again to him. "**_Ah, Naruto, finally you have made it. Please come forward, I have much to tell you, and I fear I may not have much time to do it. To begin, I must tell you why the villagers treat you the way they have. You may not like what you are about to hear, but I feel you must know. But do know before I speak, that there is help on the way right now, I have sensed it, and it should be here shortly. Also, I tell you that everything I say was done for a reason, and as you grow older you may begin to understand why you were chosen, and why this burden has been placed on you."_**

As the voice finished, Naruto was finally in front of the cage. When he reached the doors he finally noticed that there was something in it, to go with the voice. Out of the back of the cage came walking perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had long silver hair that reached the middle of her back, and reflected the light from the torches, almost blinding him. She had slightly slanted eyes, and slits for her pupils, which were as red as the blood he has seen so many times in his young life. Her ears were slightly pointed, and her skin was the color of the moonlight from a full moon, pale and white. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line, from where he was he could tell they were a dark red color.

Her neck was slim, and lead down to her body that was small, yet looked ready for combat, and able to hold it's own. Glancing quickly over her, he noticed that her chest was not large like some women he had seen, but not small either. He also noticed her waist was slim, and her hips were the same as her chest, not small, or large, but something just seemed right with it. As he looked at her hands, he noticed her fingers almost looked like claws, and he wondered how that could be. He noticed that her feet and toes were the same way.

Instead of clothes she had on what seemed like fur covering her hips and chest, The fur was silver, with a hints of red through it. Her skin seemed to glow with it's own light, and anywhere he looked he could not see any kind of mark or blemish on it. She had flawless skin.

All of this would have surprised him, but what surprised him the most was what he saw BEHIND this person. He saw 9 Fox tails, swaying in the air, twitching back and forth behind her. Each one the same color as her hair and the fur covering her. Needless to say this left the very young Naruto near speechless. The only thing he managed to say was, "Are you an Angel?"

The women could barely hold back a small laugh at the comment from the young child in front of her. After calming herself she managed to say finally speak. "**_No Naruto, I am not an angel, in fact I am probably the farthest thing from one. I am know as the Kyubi, but my proper name is Hikari the nine-tailed Kitsune. It is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. I know you must have many questions, so ask them quickly. I still have many things to speak with you about."_**

Naruto coming out of his stunned state managed to speak up finally asking many of the questions that have been flying through his head with this new information. "Where are we? How do you know me? What is going on? Are you why the people of the village hate me?". These were but a few questions that he managed to get out from the many flying through his mind. He stood there waiting for the answers, some of which he has wanted since he was able to realize the way people were treating him.

"_**We are inside of your mind. To be exact, we are in front of the seal that traps me within you. I know you because I have been sealed inside of you for as long as you have lived. Your memories are my memories, this is just the first time you have ever been able to speak with me. I think you have done so this time because of the fact you were seeking an escape from the pain you are going through right now.**_

"_**In seeking to escape the outside world, you went into your mindscape. Right now, this is the only way that we can speak with each other. Sadly, yes, I am why they hate you so much…."**_

"But why! You seem so nice and pretty. The way the people talk about you, they make you seem like a monster who would eat children alive."

"**_They have their reasons Naruto, but do not worry now. I will tell you the full story another time. For now I want you to listen. Your help is nearly here, and you are very close to dieing. If you die, I will die with you thanks to the seal that has been placed on us. I am not talking to you just for this. In all the time I have spent sealed in you, I have hated the way the people treat you. Do not blame them. They are ignorant, and foolish. They do not know all of the story concerning why I can to your village. Only two people know why, and one of them is dead now. He died in sealing me in you." _**At this Hikari stops, and her ears twitch as if listening for something.

"_**Ah, your help is here now, Naruto, I want you to go back to your body, I will explain everything very soon. But please do not hate those who have done this to you. If you do so, you will be acting just like them."**_

As she spoke those words, Naruto slowly drifted away. He slowly began to feel pain all over his body, his legs, arms, chest and stomach. Every part of his body as ablaze in pain. So much pain that he wasn't sure how he could still be alive. Finally he heard someone shout out **Doton: Doryuheki**, as the person shouted this out, a wall of mud appeared around Naruto, and he saw the old man who used to always check on him at the Orphanage, the Hokage land on top of the wall, along with several people with masks on land inside of the walls he created.

The Hokage seeing the state Naruto was in, and the look at the villagers and ninja present. He fought to restrain the urge to attack these people, who would all attack a defenseless child who has no way to protect himself. Instead he turned and spoke to a man with a Hitaiate worn on his forehead, and the cloth spread over the top of his head. "Ibiki, take him to the hospital, and stay with him. Do not let anyone around him unless I am there. Make sure the Doctors know to help him to the best of their skills. Anything less they can speak with you. Make sure they know that if they do not help him, they will get a special session with you."

Hearing that, Ibiki nods, and picks up the young boy, and takes off towards the hospital while thinking. _Who could do this to such a child? It looks like he hasn't eaten or had a bath in days, maybe weeks. I can't understand how this idiots could think that he is the Kyubi._

After Ibiki left, the Hokage turned to the Anbu still there, and the other villagers and ninja gathered. To the Anbu, "Gather those responsible for this, and take them to a holding cell. They have all just earned a private meeting with Ibiki and Anko. The ninja in the crowd will be the first, be sure to disarm them, and take away their Hitaiate, they are a disgrace to this village, and will no longer bear our symbol. Every one else, I suggest you return to your homes."

Many of the people gathered, that had attacked Naruto couldn't help but shout at the Hokage, "Why do you protect the demon! It deserves to die for what it did 5 years ago. We lost friends and family to that thing!. Let us kill it, that way the entire village will be free of the worry of the Kyubi being released."

_Why can't these people see, that he is not the Kyubi, just a child.. He had nothing to do with what happened 5 years ago. I'm sorry Yondaime, these people are still too blinded by their hatred to see him as what you wanted._ That was all the Hokage could think as he jumped away to the Hospital, with 2 Anbu following in his wake. _Naruto, I hope you make it, you have lived such a short, and hard life. I was hoping to see you grow to a fine young man before you were ever exposed to hatred such as this. Please what ever Kami is listening, help him pull through this._

That is it for the Prologue. I will try to get the next chapter up by next week. Let me know what you think, since this is my first time writing, I am more then willing to take any advice you feel is needed.


	2. Hopes and Dreams

_Thoughts_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

_**Demon thoughts**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, or get any profit from writing this story. I do this for my own purpose of having fun.

Chapter One: The Nightmares of a Child

* * *

_'Why can't these people see, that he is not the Kyubi, just a child.. He had nothing to do with what happened 5 years ago. I'm sorry Yondaime, these people are still too blinded by their hatred to see him as what you wanted.'_ That was all the Hokage could think as he jumped away to the Hospital, with 2 Anbu following in his wake.

'_Naruto, I hope you make it, you have lived such a short, and hard life. I was hoping to see you grow to a fine young man before you were ever exposed to hatred such as this. Please what ever Kami is listening, help him pull through this.'_

**Konoha Hospital**

Morino Ibiki was running and jumping across the roof tops of the village as fast as he could. All this while trying to make sure not to injure the obviously near dead child any more then he already was. As it was, he wasn't sure if the kid would be able to hang on much longer. Just by looking at his own clothes he would guess that the kid was bleed dry. His clothes as well as Naruto's might as well have been dyed Crimson from all of the blood that soaked both, it made Ibiki wonder how such a small body could produce so much blood.

It wasn't Long before Ibiki was at the hospital, and running in asking for a Doctor. Many, on seeing who he carried left, despite his threats, to busy themselves elsewhere in the hospital. Thankfully Ibiki has a very good memory for faces, and he planned on visiting some of these doctors again later. Getting frustrated, he decided one last threat, and yell.

"Damn it, are all of you so afraid of a child that you forgot why you became a Doctor? Each and every one of you bastards are an insult to your profession, and I plan on visiting each of you personally once this is handled. Does any one of you spineless asses know what a Doctor is supposed to do?".

With this last threat a new face came into the lobby to see what all the noise was about. He was a doctor of medium build, with short flat black hair. He had on a pair of glasses that was set snugly upon his nose. He had light blue eyes, and wore your standard doctor's lab coat, and scrubs, with a stethoscope hung around his neck. He was not much taller then Ibiki, and had a name tag that read Mihara Ohjiro.

Once he rounded the corner, he immediately noticed Ibiki, and what he was holding, and he also noticed what was dripping onto the floor of the lobby, blood. Lots of blood, and it was making a very large puddle. Quickly taking one look around, and seeing no one else coming to the aid, he ran forward as quickly and safely as he could to start his work on Naruto.

"How old is this child, do you know what happened; how long ago did this occur? Quickly follow me and we will try to do what we can. From the looks of things he has numerous broken bones, and he has lost a great deal of blood."

Ibiki on hearing this gave a sigh of relief, and followed the doctor to the operating rooms. As if snapping out of a day dream, nurses followed them back, gathering things that the doctor may need for the operation to come.

Many of them were Medic Nin, and grabbed some soldier pills, blood replenishing pills, and blood clotting pills as they followed them back. Many of them were also younger, not old enough to remember exactly what happened with the Kyubi, and why many of the older staff members did not want to treat this poor child.

Once to the operating room, Ibiki set Naruto down on the operating bed, and stepped back to let the doctors and Medic Nin do their work. He didn't dare to leave the room, since he could not be certain who he could trust with the boys life, and who he couldn't. He intended to follow the Hokage's orders to the 'T', and not let anything happen to him if he could help it.

"I need the Medic Nins to quickly try to stop his bleeding, give him replenishing pills, as well as clotting pills. First priority is to get him to stop bleeding. Try to stop all internal bleeding first. We will worry about his broken legs and arms later. We need to get him stabilized first, so handle all life threatening injuries first. And for Kami-sama's sake, keep him breathing. Clear out his throat and get a tube in there to help him breath for now." Shouted Ohjiro to the nurses and other staff that came to help. After giving out his battle orders he went to Ibiki to check him over, after all the big guy was covered in blood, and could have some injuries of his own.

"Ibiki-san, where are you injured, where ever you and this young man came from must have been dangerous. Did he come from a village attacked by bandits?" askedOhjiro when he was close to the big man.

Ibiki, stunned that he was being asked about injuries, quickly shook it off and responded with more then a little hate in his voice, "No, Ohjiro-san, I am not hurt in any way, all of this…" , he motioned to the front of his clothes, "came from that boy, Uzumaki Naruto, who was attacked."

Here he then took a deep breathe, obviously trying to calm himself down.

"He was attacked by our own villagers, for something he has no control over. Even some of our own Shinobi attacked the poor kid. He is only 5 years old, and doesn't look like he has seen a decent place to eat, sleep, or bathe in some time. When Hokage-sama, a squad of ANBU, and myself came across him, he was lying in the middle of an alley, surrounded by his only village being beaten, and stabbed…."

Again the big man had to stop and calm himself. To Ohjiro, Ibiki was visibly shaking with rage, as he recalled the events of earlier that night that brought him to the hospital.

"Had it not been for the Hokage asking us not to hurt them unless needed, you would be a very busy person right now, so would the local marble carver and coffin maker; if me and the ANBU left any trace of the bastards…. They were monsters and savages, attacking him relentlessly; hell bent on killing the boy. But no, I wish some of this was my own, sadly this is all from Naruto... I didn't know such as small body could hold so much blood in it… I look forward to having a session with those bastards that did this to him. They will get the same treatment that they gave him, but ten times worse. So I hope you have a wing cleared for some incoming patients in the next few days."

Hearing this, Ohjiro was stunned. '_How could our own village do something like this to such a kid? I know the Kyubi is sealed in him, but honestly, he is just a child, he is not the Kyubi. If he was he would have killed them himself for what they did.'_

"That's not all doc, if I were you, I would start looking for some more staff here as well…"

Puzzled, Ohjiro had to ask, "What do you mean? We have enough staff hear to deal with any kind of problem. We would be able to keep running through a war if we had to."

Ibiki couldn't help but give off a deep booming laugh at this.

"Oh you may have enough now, but when the Hokage finds out what some of your doctors, and nurses did when I came in, you will be short handed. They would be lucky to get away from this with their heads still intact."

Ohjiro gave Ibiki a puzzled look before Ibiki continued with his explanation.

"When I came in asking for help, none of the others would help him. They just called him a demon, and said he deserved to die. No one was going to help him. That is until you came into the lobby. You were the only one who came to help him. No one else would have touched him with a ten foot pole. They would have nothing to do with him, only seeing him as the Kyubi, and not the innocent 5 year old boy he really is. No doc, you may be short handed soon, because it seems many here have forgotten what it means to be a doctor, nurse, or Medic Nin. They forgot they vowed to help any person when they are in need of help. For that, they deserve what ever punishment they may get from the Hokage."

Ohjiro couldn't help but agree with the Jonin. Those doctors who forgot their oath to assist all in need of medical help did not deserve the title of Doctor, Nurse, or Medic Nin. They were a disgrace to all others of that profession, trying to play Kami, and deciding who lives and who dies. As long as a person has a bit of life flowing through them, they should be helped till the last drop of life is drained out of them. Any one in the medical field who could not do that deserved the harshest punishment that the Hokage could come up with. To say he was disgusted with the way his colleagues acted would not do his feelings justice.

'_Who is the real demon here, this innocent child, or those who attacked him, and refused to help him.'_

"Ibiki-san, I do not know what to say.. From what I can tell Naruto has multiple broken bones. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the bones in his chest were broken, as well as punctured his lungs. From here you can tell yourself that both his arms and his legs have been broken. There is no telling how many other internal injuries he has right now. But believe me, those here will do the best they can to ensure he makes it through this. If I have to, I will do it myself…"

Ohjiro stops here to shake his head and he watches the work of the staff.

"I can not help but wonder who the true demons are. This child could not have done anything to protect himself, or harm any thing. No, this child is far from being a demon. I would say that those who did this to him are the true demons. Those who would not lift a finger or voice their protest, or aide him are the true demons. As a doctor is pains me to say this, but I honestly hope they suffer the same pain, if not more than what was done to him. They deserve this fate more then he does…"

Ibiki was starting to warm up to this Doctor more and more the longer he talked with him. This person obviously knew what it meant to be a member of the Hidden Leaf Village. He knew that protecting those around you, and helping those around was as important as anything else. That is where the Leaf got it's strength, by helping, protecting, and fighting for every one that is a part of the village; no matter who they might be. If they were in trouble, and needed help, the Leaf was supposed to be their for their own.

"Mihara-san,…"

"Please, just call me Ohjiro, there is no need for things like that."

"Ohjiro, I have a feeling we will be seeing a gret deal of each other in the coming weeks. What are the odds of him living through this? I know he is young, and I have the blood on me to prove he is in bad shape. Not to mention the cut those sons of bitches did to his throat to keep him from calling for help. How likely is it that he will survive the operation, and be able to live a normal life, or as normal as it can get his in situation."

Ohjiro had to walk over and speak with a few of the Medic nin before he returned to answer the questions from Ibiki.

"From what they can tell, it seems just about every bone possible has been broken. His ribs were all broken, and had punctured his lungs. His lungs were filled with blood from the cut to his throat, and from being punctured. All of which are serious injures themselves. Some of the broken rib fragments came close to piercing his heart, and other vital organs. Thankfully you got him here as soon as you did, with as minimal damage done during transport as possible. He has lost a great deal of blood, far more then a child his age should have. That is very strange, it seems as if his body started to produce more and more blood to compensate for what he lost. I would have to say that is perhaps the only thing that has kept him alive so far…"

Ibiki was not a weak man, he had inflicted his shares of wounds, and received his fair share in return throughout his life and career as a Torture expert. But hearing all of this done to someone that wasn't even as tall as his knees pulled on strings he hadn't felt in a long time. This pulled greatly on his heart, creating a sadness he has not felt in a long time. At the same time, this angered him beyond belief. To think grown men and women could to this to him.. Ibiki was looking forward to his days he spent with those bastards.

_'And to think, Anko might be helping me out... I wish I could feel sorry for them. But they deserve no pity for what they are going to get. They lost all hope of that the second they decided to attack a five year old boy who could do nothing to stop them. I hope Hokage-sama takes the leash off when I am allowed to handle them...'_

"From the cut to his throat, it doesn't look like we will be able to do much for his vocal cords, or voice box. Even with the most skilled Medic Nin and doctor here we may not be able to save them. So he may lose all speech ability. Only an act of Kami would be able to give that back to him. Kami is going to be working over time with him as well. His injuries are so numerous, and severe that he may be in critical condition for some time.

"We may leave him in a special room for observation, with me and any other trusted person watching over him twenty four hours a days, seven days a week until he is stabilized. That may not be for some time however. From the looks of it, he is in a deep coma right now, and may never wake up from it. He has probably suffered severe mental damage from this attack as well, with his body being overloaded with pain. That is not surprising seeing how he is so young. Even most adults would have a hard time fighting through what ever pain he was put through. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Shinobi could not fight through it."

Here the doctor had to stop, and ponder what they could do to help Naruto more..

"I'm just afraid there is nothing else we can do for him.. We might be able to make sure he lives, but what kind of life would he have sitting in a bed connected to machines and tubes for the rest of his life?"

Ibiki couldn't help but tear up a little hearing this news. Here, a young life might be snuffed out before it could even see anything of the world.

Suddenly a new voice made both men jump in surprise upon hearing it.

"No, I doubt Naruto will allow something like that to happen. I think he will fight through what ever has been done to him. He may not seem like much, but I believe nothing short of killing him out right would keep him from living."

Both Ohjiro and Ibiki had to turn towards the voice, and see the Hokage standing at the door to the operation room. Both were surprised they never heard him enter the room.

"Ibiki, thank you for getting him here in such a hurry, I know it must not have been a pleasant experience holding such a young life in your hands. Thanks to you, he may live to see another day. Ohjiro, I wish to thank you as well for helping him, and your staff. To say that I am disappointed in the behavior of many in this fine Hospital is an understatement…"

The Sandaime couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as a thought went through his mind.

".. if she was here, she would make sure each of them were made a permanent part of the Hokage monument, or at least given the hospital enough holes to make it look like a wheel of cheese.. She might even have been able to help him. But sadly, in his current state she may do nothing more then freeze up.. An honest shame that she did not stay in the Leaf, we could use her skills right now.."

Both Ohjiro and Ibiki knew who the Hokage meant, Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Leaf Ninjas. Her skills would be of great use right now, she might be the only one that could ensure the survival of young Naruto.

"Ibiki, why don't you get cleaned up. You and Anko can begin talking to those responsible in the morning. But please, try not to kill any of them just yet.. For what they have done, they do not deserve to die in one of your torture rooms. They have broken my law, and the punishment for that will be a public execution. I will not tolerate this occurring again. I made a promise to the Yondaime that I would protect Naruto, and it seems I have failed him so far. I will not fail him again if I can help it.

"I may not be able to make the village see him as the hero he is, but I will be damned if I will sit by and let them try to kill him again. Just looking at Naruto makes my blood boil, and my temper rage. Now I wish I had done something more then just separate them from Naruto when we first got there…"

Ibiki nodded in agreement with the old Hokage. He wanted to teach them a lesson as well when they first got there. But he still has his chance in the coming days. No, he wouldn't kill them, but he will make them wish he would. He was going to make their lives of those people a Hell on Earth in the coming days and weeks.

Ohjiro had to wonder how bad this could have been, hearing the normally mild tempered Hokage speak in such harsh terms, towards his own villagers none the less. This must have been more severe then it looked when they brought Naruto in. He shuddered to think of what the scene of this incident must have looked like when they came to it. A shiver went down his spine thinking of what the obviously enraged Ibiki would do to those who took part in this. He, like Ibiki, would not feel sorry for them, but sadly he would heal them if he needed… It was his oath as a Doctor to help those in need.

"As for those Doctors, Nurses, and Medic Nin that refused to treat Naruto, I can not give them anything harsh as punishment. If takes a great deal of time to make skilled members of the medical community. I may not be able to do that, but I can reassign them to our outposts along the border, and through out the country, and move those from the outposts back here into the village. I may also make a request to the Daimyo for some assistance, as the need for skilled doctors is very high in any Hidden village. Perhaps we could start a school for that, like Tsunade wished long ago.."

Ibiki and Ohjiro just nodded in agreement to the Hokage. What he planned on doing made perfect sense. Finding, and making skilled Medic Nin and Doctors is a very hard task, since not everyone is cut out for those occupations.

* * *

**Inside of Naruto's Mindscape**

"Kyubi? Kyubi are you here?" Naruto walked into the cage room asking this. When he walked in, he didn't see her any where, so he went closer to the cage, that was when he saw a flicker of silver moving towards the front of the cage.

"_**Welcome back Naruto. You are now in the hospital, they are doing their best to heal you, and fix you up. But since we have a great deal to talk about, I will be keeping you here for now."**_

Naruto nodded, wanting to know more about this person that the village made out to be a great killer.

"Kyubi, why does the village hate you so much? You don't seem like a bad person, you have been very nice to me since I first saw you. You aren't ugly like the people say, you look almost like an angel, or a goddess sent by Kami himself."

Covering her mouth to stifle the giggles the statement from the young boy, she responded.

"_**No, I am not an Angel or a goddess sent by Kami, I truly am a demon Naruto. And thank you very much for the compliments. It is not every day that one of the Nine Great Demons gets such remarks from a human. I am very flattered you see me that way. But your village does have a reason to feel this way towards me sadly. Even though they do not know why I came, I did kill many villagers and ninjas. I even killed, indirectly, one of the greats ninjas of this time, the Yondaime Hokage.**_

"_**But please Naruto, just call me Hikari, there is no need to call me Kyubi. As for what we must talk about, it has something to do with why I am sealed in you, and why I attacked your village."**_

"Then please Kyu.. Hikari, tell me.. I want to know why I am hated, and why you are hated… I may only be five, but I think I have been through more then any other person my age.. I just want to know why they look at me the way they do, besides you being in me. I want to know why they hate you so much, when you seem like a very nice person, er demon?"

"**_Then please, have a seat Naruto, and get ready for a very long story…."_**

With that, Naruto took a seat in front of the cage with his legs crossed, and Hikari started her story……

**_"Once a long time ago Naruto, man kind lived in cities with buildings that reached the skies. They were great buildings made out of stone and iron. Many of these could possibly rival these size of your village. There were hundreds, if not thousands of cities such as these around the world, with people of different races, cultures, and beliefs moving through them. Many lived at peace with one another, while others were always at war._**

**_"In this wars, they used weapons, they were stronger then some of the skills used by Ninjas today. They had weapons that could fire small metal balls at others faster then the eye could see. They had bombs that could level the strongest of buildings by themselves. They had flying machines that allowed them to travel like the birds, and attack their enemies with surprise, and vicious force._**

**_"Normally these wars stayed in small areas. However sometimes they would become larger. There have been some wars in the past of this world, where millions have died. There was enough dead to fill this village to the tops of the walls, and over flow them._**

**_"At this time, many were killed just because of the color of their skin, who what they believed in. Others were killed out of jealousy and the need for power. Some killed to protect their loved ones, and home, as well as for revenge. Some things that should never be done. Many killed because of their pride being injured, or they became power hungry._**

**_"They also had weapons then, that could destroy entire villages, cities, and countries by themselves. It would just take one of these weapons, and it could wipe Konoha off the face of the map, leaving nothing behind but rubble. No one would live through the weapons, not even dogs or cats. The only thing that may survive is a few insects used to harsh conditions._**

**_"It was because of this that the Nine Great Demon Lords came into this world. We came at first just to observe you mortals, to see what you were like. What some of us saw was very surprising. Some mortals were as bad as some of the sickest demons in the Demon Realm. They killed without mercy, and without caring who they may hurt._**

**_"After we saw enough, we all meet together in a council of sorts. Many of us hated what we saw, and thought that it would be only a matter of time before you mortals killed yourselves off. With that in thought, we sought council with the Great Kamis, and asked what they thought. Many, if not all agreed with our observations, which is a rare thing to happen. Having both, the greatest Demons, and the Kamis agree on a single topic is very rare. That should only show how dangerous the situation was._**

**_"We debated on what to do, not having many options that would leave your world livable. So the Kamis made a deal with the Demon Lords. We were allowed to come to this world in our full form, and act as agents of the Kami, to prevent your kind from destroying themselves and their world._**

**_"So, we came in our true forms, Shukaku the one tailed Tanuki, Bast the protective two tailed cat, Isonade the three tailed and finned shark, Sekhmet the four tailed Lioness, Cerberus the five tailed wolf, Kira the six tailed eagle, Ragnarok the Dragon, Medusa the eight headed hydra, and then myself, the nine tailed Fox. We came to your world in our true_** **_forms to try to stop the mortals from destroying themselves in their lust for power, greed, and pride._**

**_"To do this, we had to destroy all that they used for this power, and all their plans for it, to help ensure that it would not be created again. In the end, we ended up recreating the world, sending human kind into a new age, a more primitive age then they were in._**

**_"That was thousands of years ago, and many have forgotten those times. Since then, the Kamis have called on one or many of us to come to this Realm, and prevent human kind from doing something that Mortals have no right to do, or to try to humble the arrogant, injure the pride and ego of those who had such in abundance. To make the extremely wealthy poor, to teach lessons to those who needed one taught to them._**

**_"This is also what brought me to your village. I was called because there was a mortal who was seeking something no mortal has a right to claim, immortality. This person, named Orochimaru, sought to gain power by becoming immortal, and wanted to become immortal to gain power. He had broken several laws set by the Kami. When this happens, the Kamis would call upon a Demon Lord, or Lords to come and help to fix the problem. So I was called to assist in this event._**

**_"I made my way to Konoha, seeking Orochimaru, and along the way I was attacked by several followers of his. All wearing the Leaf head band, so I believed sadly, that the village was in support of his goals. So I came to the village seeking him, and in the process I killed several honorable Shinobi, and poor villagers that happened to get in my way._**

**_"Little did I know at the time, that Orochimaru had left the village years ago, because your people were after him, seeking to stop his tainted ways. I did not know, so I continued to fight. That was until a great man, perhaps the greatest Shinobi to ever live, which means a lot coming from the strongest Demon Lord, came to do battle with me. This man was known as the Yondaime Hokage, the Fourth Hokage. He came forward and summoned his ally Gamabunta the Toad Boss to do battle with me. They fought bravely, but both knew it would be impossible to best a Demon Lord in a fight, let alone myself._**

**_"It turns out they were only fighting a delaying action, seeking to hold me back while a ritual was prepared. Before starting the ritual, the Yondaime did something no others bothered doing, he asked me why I was attacking. Seeking a peaceful solution before doing something that could not be undone. So I told him why I came, and he told me that Orochimaru was no longer part of the village, that he had left after many tried to stop his foolish quest._**

**_"Sadly, at the time I did not believe a word he said, in all of my wisdom, and experience, I could not see the truth when it was openly admitted to me. I struck the Yondaime, giving him a fatal wound. He had no choice but to begin the Ritual that would end both of our lives in the mortal world. The ritual he performed was the one that sealed me into you Naruto. He gave his life using this method to seal me inside of you when you were a new born baby five years ago to this day._**

**_"As he died, and completed the ritual, I realized too late, that he had indeed spoken the truth before. Because as a person dies, their lives are like open books to those who know how to read them. With his last breathes he apologized to me, the one who tried to kill him, and severely destroyed the village he was the protector of. I was amazed, that in death this human could still be so noble, and kind, even to someone who did not deserve the kindness. I promised him then, that I would look after the child that I was being placed in, to help make sure that you grew up to be a great person, a great Ninja, just like him. He thanked me for the promise, and spoke with the one you called the Sandaime Hokage, the Third Hokage, and told him what he learned_**.

**_"The Third was amazed, and ashamed at the same time for the foolishness of both sides. He promised the Fourth that he would try to make the Villagers see you as a Hero, for having to endure the burden of me being sealed in you. For the villagers would never believe that I came on a noble quest, and not one of destruction. Sadly, none of them would hear anything of it, so the Third was forced to create a special law._**

**_"This law would prohibit any with knowledge of me being sealed inside of you of speaking of it out in the open. It was done to try to give you a chance at a normal life with the younger generation of the village. Obviously though, people found ways around this law. They would be cruel to you, not feed you, blame you for the smallest of things. This is also why you were kicked out of the Orphanage, and made to live on the streets for the last year._**

**_"For all of this I am truly sorry for making your life so hard. Had I listened to the truth when I first heard it, perhaps something else could have been done. But sadly, not even the Demon Lords and Kamis are about ignorance._**

**_"All that I can do now, since we have started to talk, is to keep my promise to the Fourth. To help you become a Great and Powerful Ninja, that can protect those that he cares for and loves. Even those that have shown him hatred you would protect. Because all life if precious, even the most vile."_**

All through the story that was being told by Hikari, Naruto sat and listened, soaking up the information like a sponge. He was amazed at many parts of the story, and even more so when he heard of the battle with the Fourth. He had long made up his mind before Hikari mentioned a deal. He would become a Ninja, and he would become the Hokage of the village. Even though he was hated, he would protect those of the village, even if they did not want his protection.

"_**Now we are up to date Naruto, and I have a deal I wish to make with you, the offer is simple, and very easy to do. I offer to teach you, and train you, with some of the knowledge I have gained him my eons of life. All that you must do is become a Ninja. Of course I will give you small tips on how to do this, but in the end you will learn nothing more from me except methods to become a Ninja. I will not teach you any Jutsus as you mortals call them, or anything of that nature. To get me to do this, you must become a Ninja of the Leaf.**_

"_**You must also prove that you are worthy of such power. I will not tell you what you must do, you will have to decide that by yourself. If I do not find you worthy of this power, then I will not train you in how to us it. I will assist you in the mortal ways of the Ninja, and that is it. You would learn nothing from the demonic side. That is my offer to you, there is of course a small down payment I will give you if you accept the offer, what that payment is, I will not say, I will let you decide for yourself."**_

To him, he had a great power in him, and the only way to use this power properly would be by protecting those around him.

'_I promise Yondaime, I will become a Hero of the Leaf, that way your last wish can be granted. I will continue to do what you did till your death.' _This is what went through the mind of Naruto as he looked at Hikari.

"Ano.. Hikari, I have a question…"

"_**Feel free to ask me anything, and I will try to answer if I can. Though I may be a Demon Lord, I may not know everything."**_

"Do you by any chance.. Know who my parents are? I tried asking what happened to them when I could, since others in the Orphanage spoke of their parents if they had them.. But no one would say anything…."

Of all the questions she was expecting, this was the farthest away.

'**_I wish I could tell you the truth of who your mother and father were.. Naruto, but I can not, you are not yet ready for that information.. But maybe… some time in the future when you become a Ninja, I could tell you..' _**This is what she was thinking as she looked down upon Naruto. Knowing she could not speak the truth, she had to say something.

"_**No, I am afraid not Naruto, I never learned of who your parents were. But I am sure they were strong people, since they gave birth to such a strong and special young boy. But do not let the past hold you down. We are to learn from it, and from that grow stronger. I know you do not want to be alone. But just remember, you are not alone, you have me here, as well as some people of the village.**_

"_**I am sure that the Third would be willing to help you if you asked for his help, as well as the one who brought you to the hospital, someone named Morino Ibiki. There are others out there, you just have to find them."**_

Naruto holding back tears only nodded his head as he heard this. He still had one question left to ask before responding to the deal. "Ano… Hikari… I have one more question if you don't mind.."

"_**By all means, ask Naruto."**_

"Could you be my Nee-chan? Since I don't have any family, I was wondering if you could be my sister.."

Hikari was surprised yet again by this, but she was very flattered as well. After causing him so many problems in his young life, he wanted to call her sister. **_"Of course Naruto, I would be glad to be your Nee-chan, and you could be my Otouto. How does that sound Otouto?"_**

He couldn't help but nod his head furiously up and down at this news. "Yeah! Yeah! That would be great Nee-chan!."

With that they both laughed for several minutes before calming back down enough to continue talking.

"Nee-chan, I accept your deal! I will be the best Shinobi Konoha has ever seen! I'm not going to stop there either! I am going to be Hokage one day! I want to be the best Hokage ever, even better then the Fourth!"

"_**Very well then, now for the down payment on our deal. First, you will gain senses like mine, you will have the sight, hearing, taste, and smelling abilities of the Kitsunes. Secondly, you will be able to heal quicker then normal people. This is another one of my powers, that I am granting you. As we speak, it is already starting to work. **_

"_**Right now it is not as powerful as it would be when you grow older. So it will not heal all of your wounds completely. With you as badly hurt as you were, it will leave several scars on your body where the most severe wounds were. As you grow older the healing power will grow stronger, and heal you enough to where it will not leave scars. I can not fix old wounds, so your scars will stay if you gain them before then.**_

_**"So do not get any ideas that you are invincible Otouto. You can still be killed, and severely injured. Do not let this go to your head, do you understand?"**_

"COOL, that is cool Nee-chan, thanks! Don't worry, I don't plan on making today an everyday event.. At least not if I can help it at least…"

Hikari couldn't help but smile at this. **_"Otouto, I have one other thing, the power of the Kitsune Illusions. This is normally used by the younger Kitsune, to protect them, so it is only fitting that you should gain it as well._**

"_**With this, when you are in danger, it will make you blend so well into the surroundings. No one would be able to see, smell, or sense you when this happens. As you grow older you will be able to control it better, and use it when your life is not in danger.. This is one of the reasons why we Kitsunes are tricksters. So be careful with it when you use it. If someone knew you were able to use a demon techniques, things would not be pretty."**_

"YES! Thanks again Nee-chan! I guess I can't tell anyone about these though can I? Since I wouldn't know who I could trust and all.."

"_**I would say there is only one person worth telling, as he will always be there for you, and that would be the Sandaime, he deserves to know that we have talked, and that you know about me. He may also be able to help you become a Ninja, just do not tell him about our deal. He may not like the idea of me teaching you my demonic skills."**_

"OK!"

With that both settled into a comfortable silence. Hikari was about to say something, when she noticed something strange with the healing powers.

'**_Hm, this is odd. It seems most of his injuries have healed enough to heal naturally in a few days, except for one.. This could cause some problems for Otouto.. With out this he may not be able to become a strong Ninja like he wants.. How do I tell him that he may have lost his voice forever..'_**

* * *

**Hospital Room**

"Ohjiro-san! Ohjiro-san! Something is happening to Uzumaki Naruto!"

When Ohjiro heard this he jumped from the cot he had been laying in and followed the nurse to Uzumaki Naruto's room. As he walked to the bed, he noticed something was off, he couldn't place it at first. That is until he got closer and had a better look at the young boy's body.

_'This is impossible.. A few days ago he was barely hanging onto a small thread of life. Now nearly all of his wounds have healed! I must tell the Hokage.'_

"Go get the Hokage, tell him it is urgent that he gets here as soon as possible."

Hearing that, the Anbu, with silver hair, and a dog mask, vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

**Hokage Office**

It had been nearly two weeks since the incident with Naruto and the villagers. Ibiki and Anko were still having a little too much fun with the unlucky Shinobi involved in the incident. The Sandaime was enjoying the silence, something that has been in short supply in those two weeks, when a puff of smoke appeared in front of his desk revealing a silver haired Anbu with a dog mask on.

"Hokage-sama, Doctor Mihara requests your presence in Uzumaki Naruto's room, he says that it is urgent, and you should get there immediately."

The Hokage was gone before the silver haired Anbu finished his message. With that task done, he walked out of the office, and pulled a small orange book out from his jacket, and walked down the hall.

**

* * *

**

Hospital

The Hokage made it to the room in record time, after all he knew the path there like the back of his hand. During the weeks Naruto had been in a coma, he had flat lined about every other day. So he knew how to get there faster then some of the nurses and doctors did.

As he entered the room he was greeted to the site of numerous Doctors poking and prodding the young boy. There were Medic Nin scanning him as well with their special jutsus. All of them had a very surprised look on their face, many looked like they had never seen anything like a young boy in the hospital before. The Hokage then noticed Ohjiro coming up to him.

"Ohjiro-san, what seems to be the problem, why are all of these people here in the room, and not just the regular staff?"

"Hokage-sama, I am glad you made it here so fast. Something extraordinary has happened! All of Naruto's wounds have healed so much, that they may heal on their own in just a few days, even with all of his more severe wounds!. It is amazing, no one has seen anything like this before."

To say the Hokage was surprised would not do his reaction justice. He stood there, looking at a young boy who at been knocking on Death's door several times during the week, and running away like a bad joke. Now the boy was nearly back to perfect health. There could only be one thing to explain this, Kyubi.

"Ohjiro-san, do not let this out to any one else. His medical files are now an S-class secret in this village. Should he come back to the hospital again, he is to see you, and only you. You have just become his official Doctor, as such, you are the one who will give him all of his physicals, and other such exams.

"Swear all others to secrecy, and make sure they know what will happen if they leak this. If they have a problem with this, they can come and speak with me directly in my office."

The doctor could only nod dumbly at this news. He was glad just like everyone else that the boy was okay, but to make this an S-Class village secret? This could be a new Bloodline that had just activated. Then it hit him, this wasn't a bloodline, it could only be one thing.

'_Kyubi is healing him? I suppose it makes sense, if the boy dies, then Kyubi would die too. So I guess the damn demon is finally making itself useful for the poor kid.'_

He nodded, and went about filling out all of the needed paperwork, and letting all those present know about the Hokage's orders.

**

* * *

**

Naruto's Mindscape

"_**Otouto, I have something I need to tell you. It is very important, and may change our plans some."**_

Naruto looked up from where he was sitting, giving his attention to his newly found Nee-chan.

"_**It seems, even with the healing power, and the help of those outside, there is a part of you that may never heal properly. It is your voice box, and vocal cords. When that bastard human attacked you, and stabbed you there, something happened to prevent it from healing properly."**_

"Huh? How can that be? I'm talking to you right now aren't I? So how could that be true?"

"_**While you are here, your injuries from the outside do not effect you, but if you were to gain injuries here, it would effect your body. So if you are cut on your real body while here, you would not be cut in the Mindscape. But, if you are cut or injured in the Mindscape, then the same would happen to your real body. **_

"_**So because your injury to your real body, you are still able to speak inside of the Mindscape. This may cause a problem for us, and our plans for your future."**_

" How will this change things? I am still going to become Hokage, no matter what I have to do! And no matter what happens to my body."

"_**Naruto, most Ninjas need a voice to help concentrate on performing jutsus. This is why I say it will be a problem. Thankfully there might be a way around this, and it will be very hard on you to do this. I know you can do it, and I will help you to an extent. I will not help much, just enough to let you know what needs to be done."**_

"Cool! Then we will stay with the plan.. I won't let this stop me from getting to my dream!". With this he struck a pose, and gave the "V" for victory sign, meaning he would never give up on this dream till he made it.

"**_Very well then. I believe there is someone outside waiting to speak with you. Remember though Otouto, you will not have a voice out there, so you will have to find a way to communicate with them. Writing on a scroll, or some other paper might be the best way to do it. _**

"_**But remember, do not tell anyone but the Hokage that you have spoken with me. We wouldn't want to scare those who dislike you into acting again.".**_

With that, she made Naruto slowly return to his regular state of mind, and exit the Mindscape.

* * *

**Hospital**

Naruto's eyes slowly blinked open, then closed again.

'_Man, why are the lights so bright here.'_

The Hokage saw this, since he was sitting at the side of the bed waiting for this sign. Not long after he first arrived they realized that Naruto may very well wake up sooner then they thought. Granted, they never thought he would wake up at all.

"Naruto, can you hear me? It's me, the 'old man'. Come on Naruto, let me know if you can hear me."

Slowly Naruto opened his eyes again, squinting up at the lights of the ceiling. He turned his head side to side, looking around the room. There were no windows, except for the small one on the door. The room smelled like someone went overboard with their cleaning. He had no idea why someone would do that. It was all white, and blinding white the florescent lights reflecting off of the walls, and the white marble tile floor.

He turned his head and smiled to the Hokage, a big toothy fox like smile, that crinkled up his face, and caused his eyes to squint some. He slowly pulled a hand out from under the sheets and gave the old man a thumbs up.

The Hokage was surprised to see him in such a happy mood. More so when he saw the big smile Naruto slapped on his face, and the thumbs up following it.

"Naruto, we need to talk about what happened okay. I need you to tell me why you never came to me and let me know they kicked you out of the home. If I had known, this may have never happened to you. I am sorry this happened, and only wish I could have gotten there a little faster. Thankfully young Ayame managed to get some help when she did. She and her father are doing very well, and have tried to come by to see you several times."

Naruto again flashed his smile, and nodded. He pulled his other hand out from under the sheets and held it to the other, making a motion like he was trying to write something in thin air, hoping the Hokage would understand what he was trying to say.

The Hokage watched Naruto closely, and noticed what he was doing. Surprised that he forgot what the Doctors said, he quickly got some paper and a pen for Naruto to use.

Taking the offered paper and pen from him, Naruto scribbled out,

"_Hey Old Man! It's great to be awake.. Boy to we have a lot to talk about. You may want to lock the doors or something so that no one can come in while we talk."_

Nodding, the Hokage walked to the door, and let the Anbu outside known what was going on, closed the door, and locked it. "Okay Naruto, you can go ahead and start now"

"_Well, sorry about the scare.. I tried coming to talk to you like you said, but every time I would be chased away by people.. I finally just gave up on trying to get to you.. About the Orphanage, they tossed me out about the same time.. Not sure when it was exactly. But those don't matter any more, I got a Nee-Chan!"_

After reading the last part, the Hokage did a double take making sure he read that right.

'_He found his sister while he was in a coma? Or could he mean the Kyubi… if so, I thought the Kyubi was male.. Wouldn't be the first surprised we got from the Kyubi.'_

"Naruto, do you mean the Kyubi is your Nee-chan? Are you sure you don't me Ni-san?"

Naruto shook his head 'no', and pointed at what he wrote again. Then started to write out, _"No, I mean Nee-chan. Kyubi is a girl, and a very pretty one too! She looks almost like an angel."_

In the Mindscape, Hikari couldn't help but blush at the compliments he continued to give her.

"_She is very nice, and even helped to heal me some. But she told me that I might not get my voice back.. Which is a real bummer, but I can live with it."_

The Sandaime was surprised at how well Naruto was doing, thinking about it, he was also very surprised at how well the young boy could write. He was writing very neat, and clear, easy enough for him to read. It was almost as if he was a child genius, with the way he wrote, and spoke through his writing.

"Naruto, am I to understand, that you and the Kyubi, have spoken? What has he… Er she said to each you? Please do not leave anything out. If need be I will get a scroll for you to write all of this on. That way we could file it away in the archives or in my office."

Naruto nodded, and let the Hokage know that he should do that. After a few minutes an Anbu knocked on the door with what the Hokage asked for. With that done he got a rolling table, and brought it over to Naruto with the Scroll rolled out and open for Naruto to use. With that, Naruto began to write out everything that happened that night 2 weeks ago. He told the Hokage everything, except for the deal made with Hikari.

As Naruto got to the part of wanting to be a Ninja, and dreaming to become the Hokage of the village, the Sandaime was utterly surprised. This child, who could not, and may never be able to speak another word verbally, still wanted to become a Ninja, even after hearing from the Kyubi, no his Nee-Chan.

'_This is going to take getting used to, not to mention that HER name is Hikari. That was something she never told used 5 years ago, _that it would be very hard to do.'

But who was the Hokage to deter him from such a dream? He would back him up from the shadows as best as he could. With that in mind he made a mental note to register Naruto for the Ninja academy as soon as possible. He was also very interested in what he heard about the "gifts" that were given to Naruto. He was very thankful when he heard about the Kitsune Illusion technique, but he feared what Naruto may do with it as he learned to control it. He could already feel the headaches coming to him.

After all this was done, the Hokage still had one question left for Naruto. Something was just bothering him about the way Naruto was able to write so fine, and clear.

"Naruto, I have one more question before I let you get some rest for the night. How are you able to write so well? You couldn't have learned it from any where, do to the sad events that have happened. So how have you learned to write so clearly, and neatly?"

Naruto was stunned when he heard this, everything he was doing just felt so natural. But now that he thought about it, he realized that he had never learned to write very well. He did the only thing he could think of, he asked his Nee-chan.

'_Nee-chan, do you have any thing to do with this? I've never been able to write like this before. It almost seems like someone took over my body or something.'_

Naruto heard a chuckle in the back of his mind from the Mindscape. He knew she had something to do with it.

_**"Otouto, you are smarter then people give you credit. Along with the other gifts, let's just say I jump started your brain with some of my memories, that way you could talk to people better. I also have something else in mind for you, that I plan on teaching you once we get out of here."**_

After hearing this, he let the Hokage know, and watched as a brief stunned look passed quickly, and left as quickly across his face.

"Okay Naruto, I think it is time you get some rest. You still are not completely healed yet, so rest up. You may be able to leave the hospital by the end of the week. Hopefully I have something set up for you to live in by then.

Seeing how you are still young, I may see if I can find someone to take care of you. You may not believe me, but there are a number of Ninja that are worried about you, one being Morino Ibiki. He seems to have taken a liking to you, and has been by every day. I think you will be surprised when you finally meet him."

With that the Hokage tucked Naruto in, and whispered a goodnight to him. He turned towards the door, and dimmed the lights down before he left the room.

_'Well Yondaime, if anything, he has the potential to become the hero you want him to be, let us see what Kami has in store for him now. Hopefully the rest of his life is not as bad as his first few years have been.'_

* * *

_**AN:**_

There you go guys and gals, another chapter done, and boy did I make it big. It turned out to be bigger then I expected it to be. Hopefully you like it as much as you did the Prologue. Hopefully after this I can get into a routine of doing a chapter every week. I have most outlined in a spiral, and just have to sit and bring the ideas together.

Honestly, I filled I rushed some things, but I can't tell which ones. So don't hold back on the reviews, if you do I may never get better at this, so feel free to let me know if I screwed up on something, or if I need to work on some things.


	3. Revealations and Shopping

_Thoughts_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

_**Demon thoughts**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, so I get nothing from this except a chance to write/type out a story.

* * *

"Okay Naruto, I think it is time you get some rest. You still are not completely healed yet, so rest up. You may be able to leave the hospital by the end of the week. Hopefully I have something set up for you to live in by then.

Seeing how you are still young, I may see if I can find someone to take care of you. You may not believe me, but there are a number of Ninja that are worried about you, one being Morino Ibiki. He seems to have taken a liking to you, and has been by every day. I think you will be surprised when you finally meet him."

With that the Hokage tucked Naruto in, and whispered a goodnight to him. He turned towards the door, and dimmed the lights down before he left the room.

_'Well Yondaime, if anything, he has the potential to become the hero you want him to be, let us see what Kami has in store for him now. Hopefully the rest of his life is not as bad as his first few years have been.'_

* * *

**The weeks before Naruto woke up**

Morino Ibiki walked into a room under the Hokage Tower. Deep underneath so that those above would not have to hear what went on in this section. This was the area of the Hokage Tower that many people feared. More so when it involved Morino Ibiki. Ibiki was not a Special Jonin for nothing. He was the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation unit. He was paid to hurt people for information, and as punishment for those who deserved such treatment. He was hardly a person who enjoyed his job all of the time. Most of the time he only enjoyed it when working with Nukenins, and enemies of his village.

Today though was special. Today it would be his own comrades from his own village, who were not considered Nukenins. They were people he may have worked with before. But they also crossed a line recently.

These people took it upon themselves to break an S-Class law, passed by the Sandaime Hokage five years ago. It was made to give a special child a chance at a normal life. At least as normal as possible with what he kept deep inside of him.

The people he would be "working" with today, beat and may have possibly killed a five year old boy. A boy who did nothing wrong, other then try to go to a village festival, he should have ever right to attend. Sure these people may have been drunk, but god damn it, some of these people were Ninjas, and should know better.

This is what was passing through his mind as he walked into his area and put his work face on. His work attitude consisting of a cruel smile, and cold dark eyes. He was not in his world, where he was ruler, and he could deal with people how he saw fit. The ones he was going to be dealing with for the next week would be put through the same pain the put the boy known as Naruto through.

He would deprive them of majority of their food and water, barely giving them enough to survive. He would deprive them of sleep, and any comfort they may think they deserve. Then the real fun would start for his guests.

They would each get special one on one sessions with him and Anko. There would be the physical torture, and then the emotional and psychological torture. The things he was very good at. This is often why people called him a sadist, and cringed or slowly backed away from him when he walked by. He was contempt to let them see him that way, as it often meant not being bothered unless of an emergency. It also helped him get the things he needed done faster when he asked someone to do it.

His "partner", Mitarashi Anko, was another person that had a gift for this trade. She may not express it like himself, but she has her own way of torturing people when they needed information. Her being the former student of one of the greatest Nukenins to come from Konoha, Orochimaru, had something to do with this. Another thing that helped was just her, such as enjoying causing pain to people, and the use of her snakes in this. Many people attribute this, once again to her former sensi.

She just loved summoning some of the deadliest snakes possible, and leaving them in a room with her "toys". Or summoning a python or another constrictor to slowly squeeze the life out of people. One way or another, she was very effective at her job. Maybe more so then Ibiki was at times. But she was just so damn hard to control at times.

Right now Ibiki was in the room of the first one to attack Naruto. Yamato Inari. The man still showed no sympathy for what he did. Instead he was wondering why he was being punished. This man thought he should be given a reward for possibly killing the Kyubi. He forgets the fact that it was a human child he possibly killed, and not one of the nine Dreaded Demon Lords.

The idiot failed to realize that if he WAS fighting the Kyubi, that he would not be here for Ibiki to talk to.

People are so stupid when they are drunk.

"What they hell am I still doing here Ibiki! I know the Hokage told you to "talk" to us, but I jus thought he was putting on a show for those damn demon loves."

Sighing before he decided to respond, Ibiki stated, "I hate to disappoint you then Yamato-san, but you are not going to be leaving here till the Hokage decides the proper punishment for those who broke his law."

_'What the HELL! How did I break that stupid law. Everyone should know what that bastard child is. That way it could no corrupt any of the other children. Hell, it should have been killed the day the Kyubi was put into it.'_ Was all Inari could think of when he heard this news.

"What do you mean Ibiki. There is no way he could say we broke that crazy law."

"Oh, I think there are a number of ways he could. First, at the Festival, you and many others were shouting out at him, and chasing him, calling him a demon, Kyubi to be exact. Second, you chased him all through the city doing this very same thing. Third, the daughter of the man that some of your "followers" knocked out, and tied up, heard what you people said. She is not old enough to know what happened, or the law that comes with it. So you see, you and your buddies have broken the law. You will be punished as needed. Seeing how you have possibly attacked, and killed a civilian, while you are a Ninja, a Chunin no less, expect a rather stiff one.

"Did you think you would be let off of the hook for this easily? I mean you beat poor Naruto to an inch of his life. And for what? Because he was the unlucky one to have the Kyubi sealed into him? He had no choice in the matter. For that fact he is NOT the Kyubi. If he was, then I would bet my god damn life that you and every one of those other villagers would not be alive right now. He would have killed each one of you with out a second thought, just like five years ago."

"Don't give me this shit Ibiki. That thing could just be waiting for the right time. It has no feelings, or sense of right from wrong. It is all one of it's plans to catch us when we do not expect it."

"If that is how you see it, then I guess I have to get this session underway. This may be one of the few times I have taken pleasure in doing this to a fellow villager who was not a Nukenin.".

With that last sentence Ibiki grabbed the chains on Inari, and chained him to the walls with his arms and legs spread. Arms spread above his head, and legs underneath. He then went to a solid wall, and channeling an exact amount of chakra revealed several tools. Some knuckles, knives, scalpels, whips, chains, ropes, just about everything needed for a proper torture session.

Ibiki looked around the cabinet and selected some rather large sets of Brass Knuckles. Fitting them onto his bear paw sized hands he closed the wall back, and walked over to Inari.

"Anything you'd like to say before we start?"

"Screw you and the Hokage. That thing deserved what it got, and then some. It killed our fellow ninja 5 years ago, and destroyed much of the city! So do what you can you damn Demon lov…."

Here he was cut off from a hard punch from Ibiki to his ribs, knocking the breath right out of him. From there Ibiki alternated from the chest and ribs, to the gut and kidneys. He didn't hold back with the shots to the head either, along with several hard head butts. This went on for several minutes with Inari swearing up a storm.

Finally Ibiki stopped for a few minutes. Slowly cleaning the blood off of his hands and face from Inari. "That "thing" as you called him, has a name. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, not "it", "demon spawn", "devil child", "hell spawn", Kyubi, or anything else. Just straight old Uzumaki Naruto. So don't forget it. From now on, each time I hear you refer to him by anything else, consider it another nail in your coffin. After all, it is not a rare thing for people to die from my sessions with them."

After having his say, Ibiki turned and left the room. Once outside he turned the lights inside of the room on as bright as they would go, and turned on some music, also as loud as possible. The point of this was to make sure Inari did not go to sleep. Normally this would be used to break the will of prisoners of war, and other such people. It also served to slowly eat at ones sanity.

Turning away from the door, he went down to see how Anko was doing. It wasn't too hard to find out where she was, he just had to follow the sadistic sounding laugh, and the screams of "SSSSSSSNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKEEEEEESSSSSS, GET THEM AWAY! PLEASE, JUST GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!". He spared a rare laugh at the childish scream from who ever got to deal with Anko.

* * *

**One week before Naruto wakes**

The Hokage was sitting in his office, thinking about what was going to happen in a few short hours. His village would be short eight more ninja. Eight that they could barely spare to lose so soon after the attack five years ago. Sadly it could not be helped. Many on the council argued that there was no need for such a punishment.

Thankfully he was able to convince them, that not carrying through with the punishment set five years ago, would make them seem weak to other villages. If there was one thing the council hated, it was for their village to be seen as weak. So here they are now, just hours away from the execution of several people who broke an S-Class village secret. He couldn't help but pity them. One good thing that he could take some solace in, is the fact that few of them had any family in the village. Those that did, their family understood. Some were even disgusted at hearing the charges brought up against them.

The people were sentenced to death, and the least he could do was ensure them a quick and painless death. Though they deserved it, they were still what he considered his "precious people". The entire village fell under this list for him, and having to do such a thing to any of them, no matter how deserving, was hard on his old heart.

That is why he decided to have them gain an instant death. He spoke with a Medic Nin, who was there to assist in Naruto's emergency surgery, and they agreed to assisting. The Medic Nin would cease all blood flow from the heart, and stop the Chakra flow. This would guarantee a quick death for them. The medic didn't hesitate to make know that he thought they deserved a slow death, maybe being burned at the stake by a Katon jutsu.

The Hokage also managed to talk the Medic nin into wearing a hood and mask over his head. This was done for his protection, as you never know who would want to get revenge for this. The only person who knew who the Medic nin was, was of course the Hokage.

* * *

**Night Naruto awoke**

Naruto was back inside of his Mindscape, sitting in front of the seal. He had a rather turbulent day since he woke up from, what he was surprised to hear, two week coma. He had spent most of the day telling the Hokage of everything that had happened since his time in the Orphanage, all the way to the talk with the Hokage. It had all been rather draining emotionally, and physically for his young body. In the entire day, he never really thought about all of the information that he had learned.

First there was the fact he had a very old demon lord inside of him. Not just any of them, it was the nine tailed lord, the Kyubi, or Hikari as he found out. She, not HE, like many people thought, really was a nice lady, demon, what ever. She had been very nice to him, and seemed like she cared about him. Of course he was happy to have someone caring for him. He just never expected it to come from a great demon.

Naruto also learned a great deal about the history of the world, some of which he still didn't really understand right now. But he still thought it was cool. Hearing about cities larger this his own home village, and about buildings in them that reached above the clouds. It was all very amazing to his young mind. Then he heard about how the nine lords destroyed the old world, all of the amazing things he heard about, destroyed in the blink of an eye. It made him shudder in fear, and excitement.

Fear because he had something in him, that had that much power.

Excitement, because maybe one day he could have that kind of power.

On top of all this, he was still just a little bit confused about everything. All of this was almost too much for him to take in at one time. Here he was, just turning five, and finding out all of these amazing things. This should be too much for any five year old to handle.

Some reason though, he was taking it very well. Maybe it had something to do with some of the modifications done to him by his newly found Nee-chan. Maybe she helped to make him a little more mature for his age. Not that living on the street for the last year didn't help with it much. Something about Hikari just comforted him in a way he has never felt before.

It made him feel like no matter what, things would be ok for him. This was a strange feeling to him, he had never felt this way before.

On top of that, he had just learned he may never be able to talk again. That in itself was depressing. He would have to go through the rest of his life silent, and maybe writing things out on scrolls and paper. And yet, he still wanted to become a Ninja, which would require someone who could talk, from what he had heard from the Hokage, and Hikari. So he may have just a little problem there. Not to mention he decided to set a goal, to become like his new found hero, the Yondaime Hokage, and become Hokage of the village to be recognized, and to protect the village.

There was only one problem with that, who ever heard of a leader that couldn't talk to his followers?

All this was going through his head as he sat in his Mindscape. He couldn't help but start to think about these things that he had discovered during the day. He didn't know what to do, so he decided to talk about it with the only person he could, his Nee-chan.

"Ano… I was wondering, how can I become a ninja.. Don't they need to be able to talk and all to do some of the things they do? It would be too hard for me to do it with out knowing how to talk.."

"**I was wondering when you would pick up on this. It is true that it will be hard for you to do many things a ninja is known for, though it is not impossible. Take jutsus for example, normally there are three parts to being able to do them properly. One is using hand seals to help concentrate, the other is molding the chakra just right, and finally speaking the name of the jutsu as an added form of concentration on it. But, there is a way to perform jutsus with only two, and maybe only one of these steps, it only takes hard work, and extreme dedication.**

**"To do it, you would have to have great chakra control, with this, you could be able to perform just about any jutsu known. Some ninja have refined their skills enough, that this is all that is needed to perform them. You may still have to form the final seal of the jutsu, but that is more just for the concentration on the type of jutsu you are performing.**

**"So with great control of your chakra, you could do this. At first it will take time, more so when attempting to learn new ones. But this will also give you an advantage, should you be able to perfect this ability. You would be able to perform them quicker than most people, even the Jonin, Anbu, and Hokages. It would also make it hard for people to copy, should they have the ability to. It is something that takes a lot of time. It is also well worth the time.**

**"However, it will be twice as hard for you, since you have more chakra them most others your age, and some older then you."**

"Huh.. What do you mean Nee-chan?"

"**Well, you have the normal chakra that most humans have, a "blue chakra" so to speak. That is the chakra all humans have. But you also have another special chakra in you, mine. You will be able to use my chakra, which will be unstable for you to use, until you practice it for some time. This will make using chakra very hard for you at times.**

**"It will require extra focus, and hard work by you. Failing to do so would only leave you with the most basic uses of chakra, and nearly limit you to only Taijutsu, out of the three major forms of jutsus. That is why I will be helping you as you grow to learn to control your chakra. Both your own and mine."**

"I had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy.. I guess the only way for me to become a ninja is a lot of hard work…"

"**Yes, and those are often the best types of ninja. There are those ninja who are gifted for the life, and those who have to work hard to become a ninja. Those who are gifted, often forget the important things, all because it comes natural to them. While those who work hard, earn everything they get, and so it becomes more important to them."**

"I was wondering though, don't ninjas have to talk to people a lot too? It would be too hard to do that the way I am now… Is there no way to heal me, or find another way?"

"**I was listening to what the doctors were saying, while you were asleep, and there seems to be a human who might be able to help. But unfortunately, no one knows where to find her. Though, there is still another way for you to learn to "talk", without having to write things down all of the time. It is a fairly dead language, that is practiced by very few.**

**"In the times of this world, before most of it was destroyed, there was something known as Sign Language. In this you would speak with your hands, and be able to hold a conversation with others who knew this language. It would take time to learn, but I think it is well worth it.**

**"On top of that, I think it would be an excellent tool for all ninjas to learn, as silence and stealth is important. This language requires no verbal exchange, so it falls perfectly into both of those categories."**

"Where do I go to learn it?"

"**That is the hard part. There is not much known about it now, just small pieces. The only place you would be able to find detailed information is in one of the lairs of a demon lord here in this world."**

"….."

"**But you just happen to be in luck Otouto, I have a copy of the material needed to learn this language. I would be willing to lead you and someone else to it, but only on one condition."**

"Cool, what do I need to do?"

"**It is not what you must do. It is a promise that your Hokage must make with me. He must promise, to have it become a lesson at what is called the Ninja Academy. This is only because I feel others your age should know it, as well as it being a useful tool for all ninjas."**

"Do you think he would do that though? I like the idea and all, but making everyone learn it just because of me? I don't think anyone would be willing to do that."

"**Well, from what I can tell, he does care for you. This will not only benefit you though, it would benefit everyone who learns it. I think this should be a tool all serious ninja should know. There are other things that I might be willing to share with him, all of which are useful for what a ninja does."**

"So I should ask him in the morning, or the next time I see him?"

"**Yes, and I have a feeling he will be one of the first people here, bright and early in the morning. Perhaps along with a few others.. Though one of the people smell as bad as a snake. I would be careful around her, she seems to be a few eggs short of a full dozen."**

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at this. He was wondering who all had been to see him, since he knows he didn't have many, if any friends. He knew none of the grownups liked him when he was growing up, so hearing there might be some gave him a little hope.

"**Now, if the Hokage agrees to the terms, I will lead you and one or two others to one of my lairs. It is just down by the coast of what is called Wave Country. But that is all I will say for now. Who will go with you is up to your Hokage. For now, I think we have talked enough. You need to get your sleep, and rest. As we make the trip, if we do, I will work on giving you the Kitsune senses. Some of it will be painful, but you should be able to handle it.**

**"During that time, I will also be helping you to learn to control them. If we can not go, then we will have do to this here in the village, or the forest surrounding it. So sleep now, you will have a long couple of days coming up."**

With those final words, Naruto finally managed to relax, and get one of the best night's sleep he has ever had.

* * *

Naruto slowly woke up to the same room he was in before. He noticed it was very dark in the room, with the only light coming from a window on the door. He noticed a clock on the wall, but having never learned to tell time, had not idea what time it was.

"_**Seven in the morning Naruto. I can see we have some basics to go over when we get the chance."**_

Pouting Naruto mentally stuck his tongue out at his Nee-chan for picking on him.

'_I'm hungry.. I haven't had anything to eat in a while.. At least nothing that I remember eating. Wonder if there is a place to get something to eat around here.'_

With that Naruto was about to get out of bed, that was until the door to his room opened.

Standing in the doorway was the Hokage, along with what must have been a doctor. Naruto really had no idea what doctors looked like though, so he could only guess.

"Ah, Naruto I see you are awake now. Good, good. I will see about getting one of the nurses bring some food up for you. Kami knows you could use it." Was all the man in the white coat and blue paper shirt and pants said to him before leaving.

The Hokage walked in, and pulled a chair up besides Naruto's bed.

"Well good morning Naruto, feeling any better?"

Naruto nodded his head, because to be honest he had never known how much a good night's sleep could make a person feel. After doing this, he remember the talk with Hikari during the night, and motioned for something to write on.

Nodding his head in understanding, the Hokage pulled out another scroll, and pen from his robes for Naruto to use.

"_Thanks again old man. I wanted to talk to you about something that Hikari was telling me about. She was telling me of a language that would let me communicate with people besides writing. It was something called Sign Language."_

Thinking about it, the Hokage had to admit, if Naruto was to go through life like this, it would be very difficult, more so if he truly did want to become a ninja, and then Hokage some day.

"How did she intend for you to learn it Naruto?"

"_Well, that is going to be the hard part. She said there are probably very few people who know some of it, even then, they know very little. The only places where there is a chance of a complete information on it, would be in the lair of a demon lord."_

_'I don't like where this is heading.. She couldn't possibly hope for us to find one of these and then take the information out of it does she?' _Was the first thing that came to the Hokage's mind when he read this news from Naruto.

"Very well then, what did she have in mind, as far as getting this information?"

"_Well, she wanted me and a few others to go to a lair, and get it and bring it back. But, the only way she would help us get to the lair, is if you made a promise to her, and me I guess."_

"What would that promise be?"

"_That you allow the Ninja Academy to teach it as one of their lessons. She thinks all ninjas should know it, since it is a silent language using hand signs, and would be perfect for a ninja."_

_'Well now that is a surprise. I didn't expect her to want to help us out like this. If what he says is true, then it could very well be something worth doing. It seems as If Naruto trusts her, and the Yondaime claims she does possess honest intentions. We shall have to see how useful this information is then..' _thought the wise Hokage.

"Okay Naruto, I give my word, that the information brought back will be taught at the Academy. Before that though, I would have to study it myself to be able to teach it to the instructors, if that is alright with her."

"**_That is fine, I wouldn't expect anything less from a caring leader."_**

"_She says that is fine, that it is what she would expect from someone who cared about those who followed them. I want to try to do this as soon as possible.. That way I don't have to write everything like this all of the time. My hand is starting to cramp up already."_

"Haha, I understand Naruto, and as soon as Doctor Mihara says you are able to leave, you will. I will of course have to find people that I trust enough to go with you. I would also like to know where you will be going, if you don't mind telling me."

"_**I don't suppose it will hurt to let him know, one way or another he would find out.. Unless you wanted to make the trip on your own, which I do not think you are ready for just yet. So you can tell him."**_

_'Gee, thanks Nee-chan, I am glad you have that much confidence in me…'_

"_Well, it is on the coast of some place called Wave Country. As we get closer, she will point us there…"_

"**_Oh yes, I forgot another thing Naruto, you will be the only one able to go in, or near it. There is a special Genjutsu, set up by myself, that prevents anyone other then me and other demon lords from entering. If anyone else tried, they may find themselves in a rather uncomfortable location."_**

"_She also says that only I can go into the place, or the area around it. Something about a Genjutsu that can make people go to an uncomfortable place, what ever she means by that. Only Demon Lords are supposed to be able to go into it."_

"And I suppose since she is sealed inside of you, that you will be able to go through."

"_**As observant as his nickname suggest.."**_

"_Yeah, so who ever comes with me, would have to sit and wait for me. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long."_

After that there were a few minutes of silence, only disturbed by a nurse bringing in a tray of food for Naruto.

Naruto didn't waste any time in swallowing the food down, with little effort in chewing. There was eggs, bacon, some grainy things that he didn't know what they were, toast, and some juice to wash it all down. No sooner had the tray been placed in front of him it was cleaned spotless.

The nurse and Hokage stood there amazed. Not many people liked hospital food, and very few could eat it as fast as Naruto just did. The Hokage noticed then that Naruto was writing down on his scroll again.

"_Can I have more? I haven't had anything this good to eat in awhile!"_

Both the nurse and Hokage developed large sweat drops on the back of their heads. Of course they couldn't blame him, he was extremely under weight for a normal child his age. A person could count his ribs, without worrying about possible miscounts. That is how malnourished he was. So they wouldn't mind letting him eat his fill.

After a few more trays of food Naruto was stuffed. With a big yawn he laid back on the bed to relax a little. About that time, the doctor from earlier came back into the room.

"Well Naruto, it seems you are doing rather well, if the trays of food mean anything. The nurse says you are moving around well, and most of your injuries seem to have healed completely now, thanks I'm sure to your friend. I would have no problem with you being let out of here, as soon as suitable arrangements could be made."

The Hokage took this time to send the ANBU outside the room for the very two people he planned on sending with Naruto to this Lair, Ibiki and Anko. Both in the last few weeks have been acting very out of character, visiting Naruto's room when they were not busy.

Ibiki, who saw the state Naruto was in to begin with, was understandable. He had even helped to bring Naruto to the hospital. Anko though, that was an odd story all together. She heard of what happened, and heard of what people thought of Naruto during one of her sessions with those responsible. She wasn't too kind to those people after hearing the details.

No one knew why she seemed to care about Naruto, seeing how she never cared about anything else, except for her favorite food, and getting even with her traitorous former sensei. When he left Anko, she was insulted, teased, and interrogated, to see if she knew of his plans. She was blacklisted by many people, and trusted by very few. The number of people who truly trusted her could be counted on one hand, Morino Ibiki and Sandaime Hokage. Those were the only ones that trusted her with anything. The people she cared for was something that no one could figure out.

As far as everyone could tell, there was no one she really cared for, she had no boyfriends, girlfriends, or what anyone would consider close friends. She had no family left in the village either. So for her to show some interest in this one kid, one she had never known before, was a surprise to many people.

To the Hokage though, it was something he would have expected. Both Anko and Naruto were hated by majority of the village, but Anko never let it bother her. She let it roll off her back, and kept going about things her own way. Hearing about how Naruto was treated hit her deep inside. She hated people being treated like trash, much like the villagers did her after Orochimaru left. She couldn't sit by and let anyone else be treated that way. So seeing a chance to give some one like herself a new chance on life, she was going to jump at it. That is why Anko was here, and willing to help Naruto. At least as far as the Hokage knew, he could tell she was interested in him though.

It didn't take long for the doctor to finish his exam of Naruto. He noticed that majority of the wounds have healed even more since yesterday's examination of Naruto.

'_Well I'll be.. If this kid could develop this ability a little more, he just might be near unstoppable in a fight. I'm only glad he is on our side..'_

"Well Naruto, I would say you are back to normal, at least as normal as you could be under the circumstances. As soon as the Hokage finds a place for you to live, I have no problem discharging you into a guardian's hands.

"Oh my, I forgot, we have yet to be introduced. I am your doctor, Mihara Ohjiro. It is a pleasure to finally be able to talk with you. From now on, if you need any kind of medical help, please come and see me. I will be sure to fix you up as good as new each time. So remember that." With that he turned to leave the room.

As Ohjiro was leaving, Ibiki and Anko walked in. Almost immediately Hikari smelled the scent of snakes.

"_**Naruto, be careful. That woman has the scent of snakes on her. She may have something to do with Orochimaru. Be on guard around her, until she proves she can be trusted."**_

Naruto mentally nodded his head confirming he understood, after that he looked at his newest visitors.

One was a large man, he reminded Naruto of a bear he once saw when he was in the woods. The man had two scars on his face, and wore his village hitaiate across his fore head, with the cloth covering the entire top of his head and tied at the back. He had on a large heavy black jacket, that reached down past his knees, as well as light black pants, with a holster on his right leg. He wore a light black shirt, that went all the way to his neck, and buttoned up. All of this helped to give him a very scary look to most people.

Someone though, when Naruto looked in his eyes, he knew he could trust him.

The other person was another story. She wore a tan jacket, and with an orange skirt around her waist. She had on what looked like a full body fish net style of clothing, with white shin guards on her legs. She also wore the standard ninja style sandal. Her eyes were a light black, both the pupil and iris. She wore her hitaiate properly across her fore head, and had hair the same color as her eyes.

As soon as she walked into the room she walked over towards Naruto, and started poking him, and just looking him over.

"So Ibiki, this is the brat eh? He doesn't look like much, but to have made a complete recovery in two weeks, there just has to be something special about him. It's a shame really, he has such nice blue innocent eyes, and his spiky blonde hair; he looks almost good enough to eat. But I could think of other things to do with him too, if he was a little older that is."

Through all of the last part, she was running her hand through Naruto's hair, and nearly touched her nose to his. Inside Naruto's head Hikari was not having a good time. **_"You damn harlot, get away from my little brother. I'll kill you if you even think about touching him in any way!"_**

Naruto was just sitting in the bed dumbfounded at both Anko's antics, and Hikari's rant. Thankfully for him Ibiki come to save him.

"Now now Anko, what did the Hokage tell you? You can't go around acting like that. Naruto is young and easily influenced right now, and for the village sake, we don't need him acting like you. We would all lose our sanity with both of you running around." Ibiki finished this off with a small chuckle at the disgusted look on Anko's face when he finished.

Anko knew Ibiki was joking around with her, and she couldn't blame him. She would drive herself crazy at times. With a mini-Anko running around, there is no telling what kind of trouble would pop up. She still couldn't help but notice that Naruto would more then likely be a heart breaker when he got a little older.. He almost reminded her of another spiky haired blonde from five years ago. She shook her head to get back on track.

"Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves, I am Mitarashi Anko, a Special Jonin. Tall dark and spooky over there is Morino Ibiki, another Special Jonin."

"Nice to finally get to talk to you Naruto. Anko and I have some news for you, that you might enjoy."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at this. He had never seen these people before, but they seemed nice enough, and the Hokage seemed to like them. He figured why not trust them.

Naruto waved his hand in greeting to each of them.

"Ah, Ibiki and Anko, nice of you to finally get here. It seems before we go through with that other arrangement, Naruto has something to do over by Wave Country. He is going to need a couple of people to go with him though. So, if you don't mind, meet with me in my office tomorrow morning, and I will brief the two of you on what is going on. So you two run and get you gear ready for tomorrow. Be ready to be out for at least a week, maybe more.

"I would also like for someone to buy some things for Naruto, clothes and other essential items. Be sure to get a few empty bags as well, there is no telling how much you may bring back. Also pack for all occasions, you never know if enemy ninjas will come across your path."

"_**Naruto, we will need to try to find some ear plugs, scrapes of cloth, and sunglasses. This is for when we train your new senses along the way. See if they will take you shopping with them, that way you can buy them yourself, without letting them know too much."**_

Waving his hands, Naruto tried to get the attention of the Hokage, Ibiki or Anko. Finally Anko noticed him.

"Does the poor ittle baby need a hand with something? Using the bath room, or want your big sister to hold you?"

Naruto grumbled, and Hikari was throwing a fit in his mind. _"I was wondering if I could go with you. Since you probably don't know what size clothes I wear or anything. Plus there were some things I wanted to get.. If you don't mind Old Man Hokage."_

Anko and Ibiki both covered their mouths to prevent the laughs from popping out. The Hokage didn't mind though, it only meant that Naruto was on his was to healing.

"I suppose that should be fine Naruto. Just don't wonder too far away from Ibiki and Anko. There are some clothes in the drawer of the table by your bed. Put them on, and meet us outside of your room." With that, the Hokage, Ibiki, and Anko all stepped out of the room to let Naruto change.

Once outside, the Hokage turned to the other two.

"Keep an eye on him, there may still be people that hold a grudge against him for what we had to do to those involved in him being here. People still hate him, even though he does not deserve that hate. Do not let any thing happen to him. Protect him as best as you can.

"Don't go over board though, some people are just too stubborn to see the real Naruto. So do not go to the extreme. Also, try not to rub off on him too much. I get the feeling he is a little untrusting on strangers, some more then others right now.".

With the last part he gave Anko a quick glance, and she nodded in understanding.

'_I don't blame the kid.. I hate myself for ever trusting that damn bastard Orochimaru. The fact that the kid has a demon in him bent on killing Orochimaru only makes me like the kid more. I always wondered though, what it would be like to have a little brother. Guess there is no better way to find out what it is like then with this brat.'_

Ibiki nodded as well in understanding, and leaned against the wall waiting for Naruto to come out of the room.

After a few minutes, and sounds of things falling over, Naruto finally walked out of the room dressed in baggy gray sweatpants, a white t-shirt that could be used for a tent by Naruto, and shoes that looked like they belonged to a clown. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at the sight, even Naruto when he saw his reflection in a glass door across the hall.

After settling down, Ibiki, Anko and Naruto all walked out of the hospital, and to a bright sunny day in the village of Konoha. Naruto walked out and just closed his eyes, and looked up towards the sky. It was as if he was soaking up the light of the day, and the warmth it provided. After standing there for a few minutes, a grin crawled across his face.

He nodded to the others that he was ready to go.

As they walked through the city the three were given a mixture of looks. Some surprised, other hate, some, very few though, looked happy to see the three of them; majority of those looks were directed at Naruto.

Naruto noticed the looks, and he now knew what many of them meant. He had seen the hatred in the eyes before. Now it seemed stronger, almost as if he could feel their hatred towards him. He felt something else coming from some of the ninjas they passed. He couldn't explain it, but Hikari knew what it was. She had experienced it herself several times in the past, killing intent also known as blood lust.

She didn't tell Naruto this, she didn't want to worry him. She knew he was with two very strong and capable Special Jonin, but the less Naruto knew about this feeling the better for now. She didn't think he could handle knowing what this feeling was just yet. She would teach him about it slowly, and she was sure the two with him would do the same.

Walking in silence since they left the hospital, Anko, was one who never liked silence, decided to try to start up a conversation.

"So I hear brat, that you want to be a ninja. That's not a bad idea. It may be tough on you, but if you keep working at it, you should be able to do it. Heck you might be able to take old Ibiki's job one day. He needs to retire, he is getting too old for his work."

Ibiki only grunted to this.

"Since you want to be a ninja, then lets start dressing you like one. Who knows, maybe we can get you a starter set of shuriken and kunai for you to practice with."

Naruto's eyes lit up at this, and nodded his head vigorously in agreement. He liked the sound of that.

Ibiki nodded in agreement, and was starting to enjoy this. Seeing Naruto's face light that gave him a good feeling, and made him more sure of what he wanted to do. He decided to get something else for Naruto to help with his training.

Leaning over Naruto to talk to Anko, "Maybe we can get him some weights too. That way we can start building up his stamina, speed, and Chakra reserves. It will also help his strength some, and hopefully build up some muscles on his body finally."

With the last line he winked down at Naruto who stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"Well, here we are at one of the best weapon shops in town, the Higarashi's. Most smart ninja's get their weapons, and supplies for keeping the weapons maintained here. If they don't, then they are idiots."

With that said, Ibiki opened the door for Anko and Naruto, then followed them into the store.

Naruto's eyes went wide when he got in. All along the walls, and the aisles of the shops were weapons of all different shapes and sizes. There were kunai, shuriken, katanas, bo staves, kusraigamas, yaris, and just about every other kind of weapon a ninja might use. He walked around the shop in a daze, just taking in the sight of all of the weapons.

Naruto also noticed a part of the room that had a sign saying, "Weight Suits, and Weight Training Gear". When he passed that, he noticed a girl, about his age, behind the counter putting some combat knives, and kunai into a display.

The girl had brown hair, and brown eyes. Her hair was down up into to buns on the sides of her head. She wore a style of clothing Naruto had never seen before. She was wearing a pink sleeveless shirt. On the shoulders, there was a piece of fabric that wrapped up and down around her shoulders. The shirt seemed to have a piece that came across from her left hand side, and buttoned up on the right hand side of her body. She wore baggy black pants, and the traditional ninja style of sandals. She had a bright smile, and her skin was lightly tanned.

She looked up from what she was doing and noticed Naruto looking in the display. Naruto himself was looking at a pair of shuriken that had caught his eye. They were black shuriken, with six points to it. The points started out wide, not much wider then Naruto's thumb. Then they narrowed down to about half that size as they went towards then center of the shuriken. In the middle was a hole, that looked just big enough for a finger to fit through, or maybe a string of some sort. He noticed the name listed underneath is was "Hira Shuriken". He really liked how those looked.

The girl decided to speak up, after seeing the boy in front of her stare at the shuriken for more then five minutes. "Hi, my name is Tenten Higarashi, could I help you with anything?".

This seemed to snap Naruto out of his own dream world of using the shuriken in front of him. He went to say something, but suddenly remember he had no voice to use. Remembering this, he hung his head, and took on a very disappointed look.

This did not go without notice by a couple of people in the shop, one being Ibiki, and another being Tenten. Tenten thought she did something wrong at first on seeing the boys dejected look.

Ibiki walked up, and decided to help Naruto out some.

"Sorry about that Tenten, he had an accident a few weeks ago, and it cost him his voice. So don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong."

Tenten released a sigh of relief on hearing this.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto, he is here with Anko and myself. We came to look for some shuriken and Kunai, as well as holsters for them, for him to start practicing with. He want to join the Ninja Academy. Now Naruto, are there any shuriken or kunai that you like? Just point them out and we can get them for you, alright."

Naruto nodded his head, his mood slightly better then is was seconds ago. He pointed at the Hira Shuriken, and a set of flying kunai, designed mainly for throwing. He also pointed at a regular set of kunai.

"Tenten, do you have those in the training model? I wouldn't want Naruto here to cut himself up too much with them before he got the hang of them."

Tenten nodded, and went into the back of the store to get the items.

"Oh yeah, could you get some holsters for them as well, wouldn't do to have him running around with out them.", bellowed Ibiki before Tenten got too far away.

While this was going on, Anko was busy talking with Tenten's father, Satome Higarashi.

"Yeah yeah, I'm not here for myself today, I'm here with Ibiki and the brat, Naruto. I was hoping to get him a training weight suit. So if ya don't mind, could you grab one about his size, and not too heavy, just a few pounds. I don't want to kill the kid right off the bat. Make sure it can be adjusted too, just in case he gets used to it quick. So toss in some free weights I can add in. Might as well make it a full body suit for now."

Laughing, Satome went into the weight corner and looked for the right thing. He was glad someone was finally trying to help out the Uzumaki boy. The kid deserved to be helped, and not beaten by people. If he didn't have his own family to worry about he would have helped the kid out. But there have been some in the past who tried that, and their family was the target of numerous threats. Being a single father made him want to stay away from things that might hurt his daughters.

After about ten minutes he came back with the items needed. When asked how much, he just said, "Keep your money, this is all on the house. Consider it a present for Naruto, and we are even. Keep him out of trouble, and feel free to come back by when he needs something else."

Before they left, Tenten called out, "I hope to see you again Naruto, be sure to come back when you are ready for the real kunai and shuriken!"

Naruto waved back to her, and nodded, letting her know he would be sure to do that.

Anko thanks the man, and walked over to where Ibiki and Naruto were waiting. Ibiki led them out of the store, and to a clothing shop just down the street. When they entered, the shop owner didn't hold back a glare directed at Naruto. But noticing who Naruto was with quickly changed his mind.

"Welcome, how can I help you today?"

Nodding, Anko and Ibiki just led Naruto to the back of the store.

"Lets see now, any colors you like Naruto?", asked Ibiki.

Naruto looked around the room, and saw a crimson color, that looked almost like the color of fire. It had orange and yellow mixed into the crimson. Making it look like the cloth was set afire. Ibiki and Anko noticed what he was looking at, so Ibiki asked, "Naruto, you want something in that color?".

Naruto almost nodded his head affirmative, until he thought of something else. He motioned for something to write on, and surprisingly Anko had a note pad handy, along with a pen.

"_I was wondering about some black pants, like those over there..", _here Naruto pointed at some black pants on the wall. They were called BDUs, or Battle Dress Uniform. They came in all colors, but Naruto wanted the black ones. They had large pockets on the sides, that buttoned down, and some could be made to zip up. There was one on each pant leg. There were also large pockets on the seat of the pants, that could do the same thing. On the waist was an adjustable string, to tighten or loosen them depending on the person wearing them. The same thing could be done down at the ankle of the pants.

The pants looked like they would be good tactical pants. Perfect for having to carry multiple items, either in the pockets, or in the pants that had built in kunai, shuriken and scroll holsters. They could also be reinforced with a chain mesh, to make them a little more combat ready, mostly to protect from shuriken and some kunai.

"_I also like those jackets that are the same style, except maybe have them made to hold some kunai or shuriken on the arms. Then there are the red shirts, like the color I was looking at a minute ago, and sandals like the ones you guys have."_

Ibiki and Anko were both surprised that he was able to select clothes that would be comfortable, and still useable for combat if needed. The ones he selected would not hinder his movements, and would still offer good protection, and access to his tools when needed.

"_There is something else.. I want something put on the pack of the jacket, that goes well with my last name, according to my Nee-chan."_, with that Naruto drew what he was shown by Hikari, a swirl, that looked like a small whirlpool, or a spiral. _"If you could, have the background in Red, and the spiral lines in a silver thread.."_

That was Naruto's Idea, the colors at least. He wanted to have them look like the colors of Hikari's fur.

Anko nodded, and grabbed several pairs of each, and handed them to their shopkeeper, along with the request to have them mesh reinforced, and the designs made on the jacket and shirt.

Next Ibiki took Naruto to another part of the store to find him some under garments, most likely boxers of some kind. Naruto ended up picking some with foxes on them. One pair was black, and had a red nine tailed fox, another was blue with a fox that looked like it was made out of lightning. Another was red, with a silver eight tailed fox. Ibiki picked a couple of each, and purchased them. By this time they had the clothes back, and a backpack, and a duffle bag for Naruto to use.

Finally having bought all of Naruto's clothes, and other things he may need for the trip, they decided to head back to the hospital to let Naruto get some more rest. They let him know they would be by in the morning to pick him up before going to the Hokage's office.

"Oh, and Naruto, do not travel around the village right now with any shuriken or kunai for now. I Don't want you flaunting them around, or losing them. Besides from that, you should wait till you are signed into the academy to carry them around out in public.", was the last thing Ibiki said before leaving with Anko.

With those words, they departed, and went to pack their own items for the trip.

Not long after they left, Naruto, unable to get to sleep, decided to head out of the hospital to try to sneak to the park.

"**_Naruto, you shouldn't be doing this, you really should get some sleep. You have a long trip ahead of you after all."_**

_'I know, but I just want to enjoy the day some more.. It's a nice day, nice and sunny, and hardly a cloud in the sky. Please.. I won't stay out there for long, I promise. PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE.' _After that Naruto mentally turned his puppy dog eyes, and pouting lips to his adopted sister to plead with her.

Hikari couldn't help but cave into that look, she knew she was in for trouble in the future if he knew how effective that was on her.

"_**Fine , fine. Just for an hour, not for any longer."**_

_'YES! I promise, just an hour, I want to go to the park and see if much has changed.'_

With that Naruto took off towards the park, not bothering to worry about the looks people were giving him.

He got to the park, and start to walk around, enjoying the smell of the forest that came from the back of the park, and the scent of some of the flowers nearby. He saw several kids his age playing over by one of the swing sets. One had some strange tattoos or birth marks on his face, in the shape of a spiral on each cheek. He looked rather big for his age, not in height, but in the size of his belly. The kid seemed to always have his hands in one of two places. Either in a bag of chips, or in his mouth.

What made him look pretty funny to Naruto was the scarf around his neck, that looked like it could be wrapped around the top of the swing set a couple of times. He had brown hair from what Naruto could see, and he couldn't tell the color of his eyes.

The next person Naruto saw was a girl, wearing a purple outfit. She had her hair up in a pony tail at the top of her head. Her hair was also blonde, but a paler shade then Naruto's. He had no idea what color to call it, but it reflected the light off of it pretty well. She had some bangs that came down, and just barely covered the right side of her face, and obscuring that eye. Right now, she was barely swinging in one of the swings on the set they were at. She seemed to have a very loud voice too.

Naruto could hear her screaming out, "Choji, you shouldn't eat so much! You could make yourself sick again, and I don't feel like taking you to your house or the hospital again. Get Shikamaru to take you this time."

Naruto had could only guess Choji was the one stuffing his face, and Shikamaru must have been the one laying on the ground, looking at the sky.

Shikamaru was currently laying down on his back, and looking up at the sky. He had black hair, that looked like someone was trying to put into some kind of strange design on top of his head. He had on a white shirt, with a design in the middle of the chest, what it said Naruto had no idea. His pants were a baggy black pants, that just piled around his legs, as he laid down on the ground. If Naruto wasn't able to see his eyes, he would swear that he was asleep. The only thing giving that away was a snort when the blonde haired girl mentioned him taking Choji to the hospital.

Naruto walked past them, and started towards the playground. As he went, he noticed some strange boy sitting under a tree, with sunglasses on, and a jacket with a collar big enough to hid most of his face, and body. The boy seemed to be looking at an ant bed that was under the same tree as him.

_'Crap, I forgot to get the sunglasses and things.. I will have to try to get them before I head back to the hospital.'_

Naruto continued towards the playgrounds, and noticed some kids a little bigger then him, picking on two girls. One had pink hair, and was wearing an orange shirt, that looked like it buttoned up the middle, and white shorts, that just barely came to her knees. She wasn't much taller then Naruto, and was currently on the ground crying.

The other was a dark blue haired girl, who had on a beige colored jacket, with a yellow circle, and what looked like a small flame in the middle of it. One thing Naruto noticed right away though, her eyes. Her eyes were almost a solid white, with a little color in them that Naruto couldn't tell what it was. She had on black shorts, that reached just past her knees. She was doing the same as the other girl, on the ground and a little dirty after being pushed there.

Naruto had no idea what was going on, but he did know that two girls, his age, were being picked on by a couple of boys older then them. He did the only thing he could think of doing, he ran over and punched the first boy as hard as he could in his left cheek.

Before the other boy could do anything, Naruto spun around, and punched him as hard as possible right in the nose, causing a sickening crunch sound to be heard, and blood to come out. He followed it up with a right hook into the boy's left cheek, sending him to the ground with his friend.

Both boys, stunned, looked up and saw some blonde haired boy, that was younger then them, with a clenched fist standing over them. He had a very pissed off look on his face.

"What the hell do you think you are doing you little brat!", yelled the first boy. The second boy mumbled something, but his hand was covering his mouth and trying to stop his nose from bleeding at the same time.

Naruto just stood there, looking down at both of the boys, he would have loved to answer them, but he couldn't right now. So he did his best to give them an answer that he thought was right.

He raised his hands up, and brought all of his fingers down, except for his middle fingers on each hand.

"_**Real smart Otouto, piss the people off. I have a feeling you are going to be getting into a lot of trouble as you grow up. But at least this time you had good reason to get into a fight."**_

Seeing this, the boy who wasn't bleeding jumped up and went to punch Naruto hard on his left cheek. Naruto ducked the punch, and tackled the boy down, and commenced trading lefts and rights to the boys face.

It wasn't long before there was a crowd of kids watching the fight.

"_**Naruto, I think that is enough, get off of the idiot now. Going any further, and you are probably got to seriously hurt him. Naruto! Snap out of it, and get off the boy already!"**_

Hikari was trying to call out to him for a few seconds, and slowly got through to him. But before Naruto could get himself off an adult came forward and pull Naruto off of the kid. The boy had a his lips busted open, and several bruises starting to form on his face. It also looked like some time from the start and now, his nose had also been busted open, and the boy had started to cry for his mommy. Naruto spared a quick glance at his handy work, and turned to the two girls who were on the ground, and no longer crying.

Both just looked at him, surprised someone helped them, let alone a boy that was smaller then the bullies. Naruto, after wiping his hands off on his shirt, extended a hand to both girls, to help them stand back up.

Both accepted his hand, and he pulled them off the sandy ground. After standing, both of them dusted themselves off, and look at their rescuer. Naruto had a few red spots on him, where the one kid, the one who wanted his mommy, had got in some lucky punches. His knuckles were bleeding a little from meeting the boy's teeth. But other then that, he had no real injuries, unlike his two "punching bags".

"Ano.. I am Hyuga Hinata… t-thank you for h-helping me…", was all the dark blue haired girl said before looking down at the ground.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, thanks for helping me too, what's your name?", asked the pink haired girl.

Naruto was about to try to answer, when he heard a very loud female voice yelling at him, "You damn blonde brat, why did you do this to my little angel! Get over here so I can give you a taste of your own medicine!".

Naruto looked back to the bullies, and noticed a rather large woman, she was REALLY fat, come running towards Naruto with a gleam in her eyes that promised him lots of pain. Naruto bowed quickly to Hinata and Sakura, and gave a quick wave before he decided to high tail it out of there, or else the lady might fall on him.

Naruto easily out ran the lady, and made it back to the hospital, forgetting once again the need for sunglasses, ear plugs, and some clothe scrapes. There was no hope of getting them now, it was almost eight p.m. according to Hikari, and he needed to get to the hospital before someone came to check on him.

He had just walked into his room, when the Hokage walked in.

"Ah Naruto, nice of you to come back. I trust your walk at the park was fun?", Naruto noticed the old man surrender a small chuckle, since he obviously knew what had happened.

Naruto nodded his head, and quickly wrote out he was sorry for leaving without someone to follow him around.

"Ah, don't worry about it too much Naruto. Go ahead into the shower over there and get cleaned up, you will have a quick dinner, and then it is straight to bed for you. Don't plan on doing anything, cause I will not leave till you are sound asleep"

Naruto nodded, and did as he was told.

He came out thirty minutes later, dressing in a loose red t-shirt, much like his other t-shirt, and a pair of his black and red fox boxers. The Hokage laughed a little inside seeing this. Like the old man said, there was a hot meal waiting for him once he got out. Naruto looked into the bowl, and noticed that there were noodles, and a flavored water, with some vegetables.

"It's called Ramen, it is very good, and makes for a great dinner before going to bed"

Naruto quickly finished the bowl, and laid back in bed, pulling his covers up to his chest.

"Aright now Naruto, tomorrow you have to wake up early, Ibiki and Anko will be here to pick you up, and bring you to my office. So get plenty of rest tonight."

Naruto nodded, and the Hokage turned the lights down, and silently waited for Naruto to fall asleep. Once he did, he left the room, and headed to his own home, briefly recalling the report from an ANBU scarcely over and hour and half ago.

* * *

**About an hour and half earlier in the Hokage's office.**

The Hokage was about to call it a day. He had managed to finish all of his paper work early that day, and was heading for his office door. Just as he was about to open it, he heard a knock on the other side, followed by a, "Hokage-sama, I have news for you concerning Uzumaki Naruto's actions today.".

This was not what he wanted at the end of his day.

"Come in then.", was all he said as he headed back over to his desk to hear the report. He was glad he decided to have an ANBU shadow Naruto, but he didn't expect him to get into trouble so soon.

The Elephant masked ANBU came in, and walked in front of the Hokage to give his report.

"Hokage-sama, as per your request, I followed Uzumaki Naruto today, from the time he left the hospital, to the weapon's shop, clothing store, and pack to the hospital. I waited as per your request till you returned.

'How ever, shortly after Ibiki-san, and Anko-san left the hospital, and dropped Uzumaki Naruto off in his room, Naruto left the hospital once again, and went towards the park."

The ANBU had to stop for a second, and take a deep breath before he continued.

"At the park he observed several other children his age. Some include the Ino-Shika-Cho children, an Aburame child, and finally the heir to the Hyuga clan, and the Haruno child. Most of the children he just watched, and did not talk to. However, when he came across the Hyuga and Haruno, they were being pushed around and bullied. When he saw this, he went over to the bullies, and had to physically make them understand that being a bully does not pay off."

He once again stopped for another breath.

"After being pulled off one of the bullies by a nearby adult, he assisted both girls back to their feet, and they introduced themselves to him. How ever, before he could introduce himself to them, the mother of one of the bullies tried to catch Naruto, and "tried" to give chase to him through the park. She gave up after going from the playground to the swings, about twenty yards. From there Naruto started back towards the hospital, once he entered, I came here to deliver this news to you."

After giving the ANBU a polite thank you, the Hokage left in his own plume of smoke, and was heading towards Naruto's room.

_'Barely out of the hospital, and only having spent one day with Anko, and he is already flying off the hook like her. I suppose it is a good thing he had reason to. I wonder how well he did against those bullies, I will have to remember to look over the detailed report tomorrow. I hope things weren't too bad.'_

That was about the time that he meet up with Naruto, and his hospital room door.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry about the long chapter again, the next chapter should cover more then just a day, and the story should start to pick up a little more. I think I get carried away with the interactions, and some descriptions. So excuse a fool for his mistakes. 


	4. Clouds and Familiy

_Thoughts_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

_**'Demon thoughts'**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

**Previously**

"After being pulled off one of the bullies by a nearby adult, he assisted both girls back to their feet, and they introduced themselves to him. How ever, before he could introduce himself to them, the mother of one of the bullies tried to catch Naruto, and "tried" to give chase to him through the park. She gave up after going from the playground to the swings, about 20 yards. From there Naruto started back towards the hospital, once he entered, I came here to deliver this news to you."

After giving the ANBU a polite thank you, the Hokage left in his own plume of smoke, and was heading towards Naruto's room.

_'Barely out of the hospital, and only having spent one day with Anko, and he is already flying off the hook like her. I suppose it is a good thing he had reason to. I wonder how well he did against those bullies, I will have to remember to look over the detailed report tomorrow. I hope things weren't too bad.'_

That was about the time that he meet up with Naruto, and his hospital room door.

* * *

**Later that night in the forest.**

A pale skinned, white eyed man was making his way quickly through the woods. Making sure to not tear his closes, which consisted of a the traditional Hyuga robes. His white robes were flying behind him as he hurried to the meeting place he had set up. He did not know went wrong, but something happened that prevented his plans from going through.

The heir to the Hyuga Main House was supposed to be left alone at the park, so that it would be easier for her to be abducted. He had his alibi all planned, as well as the perfect excuse for not being able to protect the heir. The only thing is, with the heir still present, his plans were no longer able to go through. He had to escape quickly, before members of the Main house could find him.

So he was on his way to the person who was supposed to abduct the heir after the bullies had made her run off. Something had changed this, and he wanted to know what. After leaping from tree to tree deeper into the forest, and finally making it to a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, standing in a pool of moonlight was the person he wanted to see, a Kumo-nin.

The Kumo-nin stood in the middle of the clearing, in side of a pool of moonlight. He had his hitaiate adorned around his forehead, with the cloud symbol present. He wore a black vest around his torso, which barely concealed the numerous scars that ran across his body. He was well toned, showing he stayed in the best shape possible.

His pants were a mixture of blues, grays and whites, which would probably enable him to blend in well inside of his home country. Here is the woods of Fire Country, they did very little for him. The man himself was near six feet tall, with a large sword strapped across his back. The sword itself, looked like a lightning bolt, all parts jagged, and sharpened enough to possibly cut through rock with enough force behind it.

The last thing the Hyuga noticed was the look on the man's face. It was obvious to anyone, even a non-Hyuga, that he was pissed.

The cloud village has been trying to get a hold of the Byakugan for years now. The main target has been the weakest of the Main House, and Heir of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hinata. Sadly the latest attempt seems to have be foiled, by which the branch member had no idea why.

"About time you got here Satoshi. I was beginning to wonder if you forgot our deal. Though I guess you are merely here to save your own life.", was the first thing the Kumo-nin said to Hyuga Satoshi as he landed. Satoshi could tell the large man was more then just angry for having failed. Something more must have happened..

"I am sorry for being late, I had to ensure that none of the Main house followed me. If they did, this could be more then a little dangerous for us both. Rest assured, I did not forget our deal. I kept my part of the deal, and made sure the Heir was left alone, easy pickings for you or another Cloud-nin could grab here. What went wrong after that I have nothing to do with Hakai-san."

"Oh, you mean leaving the girl alone in the park, that was leaving her open to be taken? You take me for a fool? Do you know how many families were in THAT park alone? Not to mention the number of Konoha clans that frequent it?

"Here, let me help you out, there was the Haruno's, Nara's, Akimichi's, Yamanaka's, Aburame's, and I'm sure the blasted Inuzuka's probably go there as well. Do you know what that means? It makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to carry out my mission. If I was able to take the girl, I wouldn't be able to get to the border before I was stopped."

_'It's no wonder this fool is part of the Branch house, he can't even understand simple things like this.'_ Was all that went through Hakai's mind at that time.

This Hyuga was an idiot, he was beginning to wonder why he recruited the fool to help him. It is true that the hatred between the two houses is useful, but there had to have been someone more capable of doing this job then who was currently helping him.

"I am sorry about that. When I came to the park with here, I did not see those families there.", lied the Hyuga. To be honest he knew other clans went there, but this was the normal park that the heir was taken to. Going any where else might have raised more suspicion then needed. He did not like the Main House, and would do anything to hurt them. But going too far out of the way would raise questions, questions he did not want to answer to the council for.

In fact the main reason they went to this park were the orders from her father, Hyuga Hiashi. The park was close to the Hyuga compound, and easy to get to if an alert was called. Not only that but with the wife of the head, and the mother of the heir close to her due date, Hiashi wanted his family close by.

"You take me for a fool Satoshi? I was at the park nearly thirty minutes before you came. The Nara's, Akimichi's and Yamanaka's were already there. Shortly after you arrived, the other families came in. So, let me ask you a very important question.

"Why, oh why would so many important families from the Leaf village bring their children there to play?". Here he stopped for a second. "Oh wait, could it be because THIS park is close to the Hyuga compound! You BAKA!. You have any idea how many Hyuga eyes watch this park! I was a fool for ever thinking you could assist me with this plan.

"Maybe, it is not a coincidence that you watch the weak Heir. Perhaps they want a weakling to watch her, in hopes of them being killed. It amazes me how you have lived this long.. But your luck has run out today. You failed in your job, and I can not have any loose ends that know my name and face walking around…"

Before Satoshi knew what was going on, Hakai had pulled out his massive sword, and swung it down, over his head. In one fluid motion, he brought it down on Satoshi's head, and cut straight down the entire length of the body. All of this was just a flash to Satoshi, like a flash of lightning during a storm.

After the flash was over, a trickle of blood came down from the top of his head, slowly forming a line, and staining his white robes. The robes themselves slowly ripped apart, as did Satoshi's entire body. Split straight down the middle with the perfection of an expert swordsman.

The two halves of Satoshi feel to the ground with a loud thump. The blood pooling around the halves, as well as the various inner parts of the body. The insides of Satoshi slowly sloshed onto the ground for the animals and insects to feast on.

"This is what happens to those who fail me. I suppose not all Hyuga members are as great as they are made out to be..". With this statement Hakai placed his sword back upon his back, and jumped away into the trees, leaving behind his failure, and dreading having to report this failed mission to the Raikage.

* * *

**Hospital next morning**

Naruto was in a deep sleep. So deep he wouldn't hear the door open to his room, he probably wouldn't hear another demon attacking the village. Hikari was watching his slumbering form in side of the Mindscape world. She felt sorry for him. He was going to be the center of unwanted to attention as he grew up, and she could only hope to help him keep it together.

But, she could only do so much. She couldn't give him the comfort that he probably longed for. She couldn't hold him, or soothe him when he was upset. She was unable to move past the walls of the Seal. Even if she could, and did right now, it would probably kill Naruto. Her power would surge through him, and such power could easily kill his young body.

That is why she hoped he could find human companionship. A human, or humans that could be there for him, and help him when she could not. From what she could tell, he already had three people that looked ready to help him no matter what the case, Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, and the Sandaime Hokage.

Morino Ibiki was a puzzle to her. She could tell he wasn't one to normally show such emotion, but when he was around Naruto, he seemed to open up more. He seemed to want to look after Naruto like and older brother would. He looked ready to do anything he could to protect Naruto, and showed he cared a great deal for him the first time they ever meet.

Of course Naruto does not remember his first meeting with Ibiki too well, since Naruto was unconscious at the time. Ibiki had been the one to come with the Sandaime, and rush Naruto to the hospital as quickly as possible, without further injuring him. He had even come close to killing several workers at the hospital for not wanting to help Naruto, and some for trying to kill him while he was in a coma. Hikari was certain that he would look out for Naruto. If anything, he would be a big brother that would always be there for him.

Mitarashi Anko was another puzzle. She had the scent of the snake, Orochimaru. Yet she did not seem like him, from what Hikari could recall. Anko, while she appeared blood thirsty and ruthless, seemed to be hiding another side to her persona. A softer, gentler side, that had not seen the light of day for some years now.

It only seemed as if this side started coming out when she heard of what happened to Naruto. All adults, and Ninjas knew who and what Uzumaki Naruto was. There were a few that could see him for Uzumaki Naruto, and not the container for a demon, or the demon itself. Anko seemed to be in the middle of both groups.

She knew who Naruto was, and she saw him as the demon container, and a little of the demon itself. In a way, he was just like her, living in the shadow of something they had very little control of, and would have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Naruto had Hikari, and Anko had her previous relationship with Orochimaru.

After Orochimaru left the village, Anko was treated cruelly by the village. Many saw her as Orochimaru himself, and would treat her as they would any other monster or traitor. They tried to beat her, and attacked her. She fought back, and tried to defy what they called her. But the more she did, the harder it became. So one day, she created a new version of herself, the current one.

She put on a costume of sorts, one that made her ruthless, and blood thirsty. It made people step out of her way when she came walking through, and made them not want to cross her. She became a very adept Ninja. She fought her way up through the ranks, and did not get discouraged when the council and other high ranking officials tried to stop her from advancing.

The first hurdle she had to jump was becoming a Chunin. Many did not think she could be trusted, that she was a spy for her former master. She fought as hard as she could against this, and slowly earned the right to become a Chunin. From there was another hurdle for her to jump. One that almost seemed impossible to cross, becoming a Jonin.

Again, they would not let her, stating she did not have the skills at first. But when she defeated numerous Jonins in single combat, they decided that she just couldn't be trusted. Not only did she know numerous Kinjutsus, or forbidden techniques, but she still had the reputation of being close to Orochimaru in the past. This time though, there was nothing she could do that would change the views of those in charge of the promotions.

Then came the Sandaime. He knew she was not anything like Orochimaru. Maybe she was a little uncontrollable at times, and might cross a few lines in fights, but she was nothing like here former sensei. She tried to change herself, and separate herself from her past. He knew this, and he even went as far to acknowledge her work publicly on several occasions, all in hope of helping her gain promotion to Jonin. When that didn't work, he made a special exception for her.

She was very talented, and knew things about Orochimaru, that few others knew. She had knowledge of several Kinjutsus, and was a proven Ninja. She had skills, brains, and knew how to use them effectively. So he took it upon himself to make her a Special Jonin, under his direct command.

He seemed to know she was hiding a deeply hurt past, and he was hoping that one day she would find a way to heal that past. She was betrayed, and hated by many of the village. She had slowly gained respect from many in the village, though it might have been more out of fear then anything else.

When Anko heard the news of Naruto, she knew just how he must have felt, and she wanted to make sure the same thing that happened to her, did not happen to him. From what Hikari could tell, Anko was willing to do the same as Ibiki, be there for Naruto when others shunned him. Anko despite the act she put on, was willing to let the boy cry on her shoulder, and comfort him.

Despite Hikari's earlier thoughts of Anko, Anko did not seem interested in Naruto in any physical way. She was more interested in helping him mentally and emotionally. She was willing to be a big sister, just like Hikari. True Anko could try to be a mother to Naruto, but it seemed Anko herself wasn't ready just yet for that big of a role. So she would do the next best thing, be there as a big sister, and help him, and teach him. She would make sure the feelings of the village did not get to him, and help to show him how to hide his feelings. That way no one would be able to take advantage of them, and hurt him more.

The last person Hikari knew would be there, the Sandaime Hokage. He has always been there when ever possible for Naruto. From the time he was just a newborn, to the current time. True, he could not be there all the time, and stop everything. Being a Hokage kept him busy throughout most of the day. But Hikari knew, that when ever he had a chance, he would come visit Naruto. He would act as the Grandfather figure for Naruto. The wise old Grandfather, who would offer sagely advice to him when he needed it. Who would try to steer him along the right path, and help him make the right choices. Hikari knew that he cared for the entire village, and each person was special to him. But she also knew that if given the chance to help on an individual level, like now with Naruto, he could and would do everything in his power to help.

And so far, he had proven her right.

Slowly Naruto started to wake up, the sounds of the Hospital waking up drifting into the room. The sounds of nurses checking on patients, and brining them the morning meals. Naruto became fully awake when he heard his door open. Years spent on the street still had an effect on him. He became cautious at first, not sure of where he was, till seconds after looking around the room. Then he started to relax, and noticed that he was drooling as the smells of breakfast came into his room.

Naruto looked towards the door to see a nurse bringing in a couple of carts. Naruto was surprised to see them both with multiple trays of food. The first thing that came to his mind sadly, was that most of it was for other patients. That was until the nurse smiled at him, and brought both carts over towards his bed, and left the room.

Naruto's grin threatened to tear his facial muscles from the size of it. He sat up in his bed, and reached for the first tray of food, which consisted of pancakes, syrup, eggs, sausage, toast, and grapefruit. Along with a pitcher of milk, orange juice, and one of water all sitting on the cart. Naruto didn't waste any time, and commenced digging in.

Naruto wasted no time in finishing off most of the food, and barely leaving three trays of food left on the second cart. None of the pitchers had anything left in them. Naruto could honestly say, for once in his life, he was full. He had never before eaten so well in his life.

Shortly after he had finished Doctor Ohjiro came into the room to check on him. He too was surprised by the speed Naruto was able to devour the hospital food. Normally he wouldn't wish the food onto any of his patients. In fact, he would encourage family members to bring something from the outside for them to eat. For Naruto though, it seemed to be just fine. He could hardly imagine how he would react when he tried actual food outside of the hospital.

"Well Naruto, it seems you are doing quite well. I see no reason for you not to go on your little trip with Ibiki and Anko today. They should be up in an hour to pick you up. In the mean time, why don't you get cleaned up, and change clothes?".

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically as he jumped off the bed and ran into the small room where the shower and bath was. Not long after that, the Doctor could hear the water running, and the sound of Naruto splashing around.

_'No matter how much he has been through, he is still a kid at heart. I can only hope he can stay as pure as he grows up. There is no telling what things he might face on his quest to become a Ninja.'_ Was the last thoughts the Doctor had as he left the room to check on his other patients.

Naruto came out of the bath room almost thirty minutes later, dress in his black B.D.U. pants, with a red t-shirt sporting a spiral in the back, outlined in black on the outside, with silver forming the spiral on the inside. It seemed to be a turtle neck shirt, and covered up his neck, and the scars there very well, even though it was uncomfortable to him. He grabbed one of his jackets, and put it on, only buttoning up the bottom most button.

After putting on his sandals, he grabbed his bags that carried most of his other clothes. They also carried something more important to Naruto, his brand new shuriken and kunai.

'_YES! I can't wait to learn how to use them. I hope Ibiki-san and Anko-san will show me how all the way to Wave Country.'_

At this thought is when both Ibiki and Anko came walking into the room, and saw Naruto acting like he was throwing things at an imaginary object. Watching this, both had to hold back their laughs, that was until Anko got an evil smile on her face.

"Well would you look at that Ibiki, looks like the brat doesn't need us to teach him anything. I say we let him learn how to use kunai and shuriken all on his own." as she finished that she smiled as a shocked Naruto spun around to look at them.

_'NO! I have no idea how to use them.. I was just playing around.. I really hope they still decide to teach me how.. Nee-chan, if they don't, could you show me how?'_

"_**Naruto, I have no idea how you humans use those things you call shuriken and kunai. That is just something I never needed to learn honestly. I was more adept with other weapons skills when I took on a human form. Now if you asked me how to use a few Sais, a set of Shuko or Ashiko, I might be able to help you out. But those puny things I have no idea on how to use. So you might want to get back on their good side."**_

Hikari could tell Anko was joking around, just by the tone of her voice, and the look on Ibiki's face. But why not have a little fun with Naruto?

After talking with her, Naruto quickly ran over to Ibiki and Anko. He grabbed Anko's hand and looked up at her with pleading eyes, begging her as best as he could to still teach him. At first Anko was surprised by the look and the contact, but the longer she looked in those big bright blue eyes…

She crumbled like an old oak in a typhoon. Her facial features visible softened, and a rare heartfelt smile crept across her face.

"Ok, Ok Naruto, we will still show you how. Just remember, they are not toys, so don't treat them like they are." This all came out of Anko in a tone of voice that Ibiki had never heard her us before. She sounded sad, and reassuring, almost like a mother, or a big sister would do. She wanted to comfort the obviously distressed Naruto.

Her words had the intended effect.

Hearing her say those words, his face lightened up, and he jumped around the room. He started to do a little victory dance, and was interrupted halfway through it.

"Hey, Naruto, you don't want to keep the Hokage waiting now do you?"

Naruto shook his head violently to indicate no.

"Well then grab your bags, and let's get going. When we get to his office, Anko's got a nice little surprise for you." Hearing his voice, and seeing that small almost evil smile on his face, almost made Naruto wonder what he had gotten himself into. Shaking it off, he grabbed his bags and followed them out of the room, and out the doors of the Hospital.

Walking down the street, towards the Hokage tower, Naruto once again felt the glares of the villagers on him. He looked around, and saw some of the adults looking at him, eyes filled with hate and anger. As he looked around again, he noticed two familiar faces.

One face belonged to a boy, that was probably a few years older then Naruto. His face was battered and bruised, almost as if he had met a wall one too many times. His lips were in no better shape, as they were puffed up, and fresh scabs in several spots on them, and his right eye was swollen shut. Naruto knew who the boy was as soon as he saw him.

Next to the boy was that fat lady Naruto had seen from yesterday, the Mom.

'_Oh boy, this isn't going to be good.. Nee-chan, have any idea on how I can get out of this?'_

"_**Nothing I can do yet, I haven't given you any of your Kitsune abilities, except for the healing. Just hope Ibiki and Anko are ready to stop her."**_

_'That's real comforting… That lady looks like a mad bull right now. I know she saw me, her stupid son pointed at me!'_ Naruto was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, as a hand grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, and yanked him back away from Ibiki and Anko.

Naruto, stunned, but still knew what had happened, opened his mouth and yelled a silent scream, hoping that something would come out. Nothing did. All he heard was a voice that sounded winded from the small exertion put out from grabbing Naruto.

"So, this is the brat who beat you up Sai? Well, he doesn't look like much, but I know what he is. I will be sure to make him pay for what he did to you." With that final thought she raised her free hand to strike Naruto across the head with a piece of firewood she had bought.

She swung down, and was about to hit her target, till she suddenly stopped. All sound in the crowded street stopped at the same time. The lady looked down at her throat, and saw a kunai being held TOO close to her throat. Holding the kunai was the hand of a very pissed off Anko.

Looking at her arm, she noticed Ibiki holding her arm, who had a scowl on his face that could wither a plant. He had her arm in just the right position to break it, should she want to try to continue her motion.

The lady just gulped at the looks and feelings she was getting from the two Jonin. The other villagers were just as stunned, many staring with their mouths wide open.

Finally, Anko broke the silence.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing Bitch! You want to try to hurt my Otouto? Well do you? Let me give you a hint to what your answer should be…" This was all Anko hissed right into the lady's ear, as she pressed the kunai into her throat slightly, just enough to draw a little blood.

Next to speak was Ibiki from the lady's right hand side.

"I would suggest you drop that log, because if you don't, you will never use this arm again. After you drop the log, let Naruto go. Then maybe, I will let you use your arm again in a few weeks." All of this was delivered in a calm, cold tone of voice as Ibiki looked the lady straight in the eyes. His face betrayed no feelings, but his voice promised immense pain if she did not comply with his statement.

Trembling, she had no other choice.

She slowly dropped the log, and then slowly put Naruto back on the ground, and released his jacket. She felt the pressure on her neck lighten up a little, and the same occurred with her arm.

"Now, wasn't that easy? I don't know what your problem is my Naruto, but I suggest you find a more civil way to go about solving it."

Finding her voice again the lady finally spoke up uncertainly, "H-he.. b-beat my l-little angel up yesterday at the park. Look at my poor baby's face! He was laughed at today at the academy when he went in with those bruises. While that little m-monster doesn't have a scratch on him. He had to have had help to do this to my baby, and I'm going to make each one of them pay for it!".

Ibiki looked down at Naruto, who was still a little shocked, but shook his head no at the ladies last statement. After that he pointed at himself, and the boy, and acted like he was fighting. Ibiki guessed this was to mean they did fight.

Naruto next pointed at a girl walking by, then at the boy again. He made the fighting motion again before pointed back at the girl, then the ground.

Ibiki wasn't the best at charades, but he could guess that the boy had done something to some girls, maybe pushed them down on the ground or something.

"I don't know what happened, but I don't think you are telling us the entire story. We have an appointment with The Hokage, and if you keep us waiting, who knows what he may do to you. If you want to continue this matter, feel free to wait for us outside of the Hokage's office. If not, then drop this right now, and maybe, next time Anko-san won't kill you where you stand."

To say the lady was scared did not do her reaction justice. Her face visible paled when she heard the last part, then remembered what the lady had been close to doing minutes ago. She also paled more when she remembered the words Anko spoke to her. '_Just what the hell do you think you're doing Bitch! You want to try to hurt my Otouto?' _

Was this little brat really her brother? Did she want to push her luck, and get in bigger trouble with the three? For some reason Ibiki was protecting this thing that she only knew as a monster, and the whore Anko, that's what everyone thought she was, was calling it her little brother? She needed answers, and the only one who could give them to her, with her life and body intact, was the Hokage.

"I'll go with you to see Hokage-sama, and afterwards, we can fix this little problem of your brat misbehaving."

Anko hissed at the lady when she spoke of Naruto that way. She knew that Naruto had to have had a good reason for doing what ever he did. It took all of Ibiki's strength, and Anko's will power to keep her from filling every cavity of the fat woman with every sharp and pointed object she had on her.

Ibiki had to drag Anko the rest of the way to the Hokage's office.

Once outside, the secretary let them into the office, and asked the lady to wait outside while they discussed some important matters.

"Ah, welcome Anko, Ibiki and Naruto. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

Anko was the first to speak up.

"Oh, we just happened to run into a cow with a death wish. But I can handle that after our meeting." This was all she said. Each and every word coated in a fake sweet and innocent voice. Each word dripping with venom and sarcasm. Ibiki had never seen her this upset before, barring any discussion of Orochimaru.

"Sorry about the delay Hokage-sama, but as Anko said, we were delayed by an incident, that we hoped you could help us settle after this meeting."

"Very well Ibiki, but let us get under way now. Naruto, I am sure you are wondering why you are here. First thing is, that I have found some people willing to adopt you."

_'What.. I can't believe it.. Someone wants to finally adopt me.. I wonder who they are.. Will they be as nice to me as Ibiki-san and Anko-chan? I hope they are..'_

"I'm sure you are wondering who it is. Well, no need to keep you waiting I suppose. If you turn around you will see them right behind you."

Naruto quickly spun around to look behind him. When he did all he saw was Ibiki and Anko. He leaned to the left a little, hoping to see behind Ibiki. He didn't see anything. He leaned to the right next, hoping to see behind Anko. Again nothing.

All Naruto saw behind him was Ibiki and Anko.

_'There is no one there. Just Ibiki-san and Anko-chan.. Is he playing a trick on me?'_

"_**Otouto, did you ever stop to think, that it just might be Ibiki-san, and Anko-chan? After all Anko-chan did call you her Otouto earlier when the lady attacked you."**_

No sooner had Hikari finished this did Naruto jump up and try to wrap his arms around a very startled Ibiki and Anko. He buried his face into the sides of both of them, sobbing softly. He finally had a family! He had hoped these would be the ones to adopt him when he heard the Hokage say those words. But he didn't expect it. Now he was just too happy, it was almost a dream come true for him.

Anko squatted down so that she was eye to eye with Naruto and wrapped him in a hug. As she did, she rubbed her hand up and down his back, hoping to calm him down.

'_Damn, where did this come from? Maternal instincts must be kicking in on me. But I hate to see him cry, it almost makes me want to.'_ Anko stopped there, as she picked Naruto up, and held him, with his head buried in her shoulder.

Ibiki smiled, a soft loving smile at the scene. He playfully ruffled Naruto's hair, and tried his best to get him to stop crying. Slowly Naruto stopped his crying, and looked up at both of them with the biggest and brightest smile they had ever seen on his face.

The Hokage cleared his throat to get everyone's attention once again. Once all three were looking at him, a bright flash filled the room, blinding Naruto, Ibiki and Anko. As their eyes cleared they heard the small laugh of the Hokage.

He stood in front of all three with a camera, and a quickly developing photo. The photo was of Anko holding Naruto, with his arms wrapped around her neck, and Ibiki's hand playfully ruffling Naruto's hair once again. Each one had a look of utter surprise on their face.

"Well, now that that is done, here are some pictures for you three. I thought we might as well start the collection early. So I snapped of few pictures, most of them are from just now. As for where you will be living, Anko has decided that you will live with her. When she is away on missions, you will be with Ibiki. Should both be away at missions on the same time, then we shall work something out at that time.

"But family matters aside, you three are to head to Wave country in search of the lair of a demon lord. Once you get there, Naruto will be the only on able to enter the lair. So Ibiki, Anko, you will have to stand guard away from it, Go by what Naruto says. Do not go any further then what he says is safe. If you do, there is no telling what could happen. You are also free to train him how ever you see fit along the way there and back. This will all be in preparations for him to join the Ninja Academy when he turns the age of six."

All three nodded, and Naruto was bouncing from foot to foot, not being able to contain how happy he was at the sound of that.

"Oh yes, one last thing, try not to be too hard on Naruto. Just try to start with the basics first, and worry about the advanced things as he gets better."

"Yes Hokage-sama!". Answered Ibiki and Anko in unison.

"Now, what is this about a problem on the way here?"

Ibiki spoke up before Anko was able to.

"Well, there seems to be a lady outside who claims that Naruto beat up her son. The boy he badly bruised, half of his face is swollen as a matter of fact. She thinks there may have been others helping Naruto do this."

"Ah, yes I know what she is talking about. She is very much correct. But only in Naruto beating her son up. There was no one else involved, except the other bully, and the two young ladies who were being bullied. Please though, let her in so that I don't need to explain this situation twice."

Anko grinned, and walked towards the door.

"Hey buffalo butt, get in here, the Hokage wants to talk about your son's newest look.". A few minutes later, the large woman and her son walked into the room. As they moved towards the Hokage's desk the lady glared at Anko for her comments.

Anko did not flinch, and returned with her own death glare, that made the lady turn away, and her son whimper like a dog.

The Hokage winced when he saw the boy's face. He had read the Anbu's report earlier this morning, but the report didn't seem to detail the damage that could have been done by Naruto. What the report stated seem to gloss over the event as just a small fight. What the Hokage saw in front of him was signs of a very one sided fight, with the boy being beaten badly.

"Hokage-sama, I wish to place a complaint on two Jonin. They attacked me in the market for no reason. They both threatened my life as well. I also wish for th..this thing to be punished for what he did to my son." by the end of this little rant, Anko was visibly shaking at the way the woman referred to Naruto.

"Yes, I understand. However, I also witnessed what occurred on the road here. You see I was checking to see what was keeping them from being here on time. I would have to say that I am fairly disappointed at your behavior Madame. You tried to assault a young boy, for what is a school yard fight. You see, the two Jonin in this room right now, also happen to be Naruto's legal guardians, his brother and sister. So they did what anyone would do, and protected him.

"Now I fail to see why a parent should step in when your son was in the wrong from the start. I have an ANBU report here in front of me, that described the situation from yesterday. Here, allow me to read it to you."

The lady could not believe what she was hearing. Her angel of a son, was pushing around the Heir of the Hyuga clan, as well as the only daughter of the Haruno family. There had to be a mistake, her baby had to be the one to come to the rescue, and not the thing in front of her.

"Ho-hokage-sama, please excuse me, but I feel that your ANBU must be mistaken. There is no reason why my son would do that…". Before she was finished, the Hokage cut her off.

"Yes, I thought someone might say that. So I contacted the members of the families that were there. They all said the same thing, the Naras, Yamanakas, Akimichis, Harunos, and the Aburames. The all say the same thing. That a blonde boy, matching Naruto's description, came over, punched the boy that was with your son, then turned and did the same to your son. This was before any other parents could get there, as many had left to do some shopping nearby.

"Normally, this would not be a problem, since there has always been a Branch house member with the Heir. Yesterday, that member was missing for still unknown reasons. I think if they were there, your son might be in worse condition, if he was behaving as described by the ANBU present."

The lady could do nothing but stand there dumbstruck at this news. How could she contest the same story being told by so many people..

"Sai, we need to get home and have a nice little talk about lying to mommy…" With that said she walked out dragging her young son kicking and screaming out of the Hokage's Tower. What was going to happen to him, no one knew or cared.

"Ah, now Ibiki, and Anko. I think it is time you three should be going. Have a safe journey, and hopefully you three will return shortly."

Anko, Ibiki, and Naruto all gave a short bow of respect, and started to head out.

"Oh wait, I forgot the second surprise for you Naruto. It is the training suit that was bought for you yesterday. I think you should try it on right now, just so we are sure it fits you." The Hokage brought out a large box, and slide it across his desk to Naruto.

Naruto went to grab the box, and pull it off the desk, only to have it fall form his hands, and land on the floor with a loud clang. Naruto had no idea what made that sound, but open the box to see a suit, that looked like the right size for him, and made out of the same thing his pants and jacket were made up of.

Naruto pulled the suit out, and as he did he had something heavy fall from the suit, and onto his foot.

Naruto opened his mouth in a silent scream of pain, and dropped the suit onto his other foot. When he did, he once again felt something heavy land on his foot.

He let out another silent scream of pain, and started to bounce from one foot to the other, hoping to relieve them of some pain. This didn't go on for long before he lost his balance and landed flat on his butt. From there he picked up both of his feet, and starting blowing on them, and doing anything he knew to take the pain away.

The whole time he was doing this, the Hokage once again was busy snapping photos of Naruto's antics. From the first weight plate falling, to the scene of Naruto on the floor with his big toes in his mouth sucking on them. The sights of Naruto with both legs like that was too much.

The Hokage, Ibiki, and Anko all broke out in loud peals of laughter. Anko was laughing so hard at the sight, that she was rolling on the floor holding her sides. Even Hikari was having a few laughs at Naruto's expense.

_'What's so funny! I think I broke my toe here! And all of you are just laughing at me.'_

Naruto, ignoring the pain, jumped up, and started to throw a temper tantrum. He was stomping his feet on the ground, and waving his hands and arms like a mad man. If he was able to, his yells would be echoing off the walls of the office.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I should have warned you about that.. This is the weight suit that was bought yesterday… Now please just calm down. We are sorry we were laughing at you, but it was just too funny. Try the suit on now, you will have to strip down to just your underwear, and put the suit on over that, then your regular clothes."

Naruto calmed down as the Hokage spoke to him. He gave everyone the best dirty look he could muster, and started to undress. Once down to just his boxers, Anko and the Hokage had to cover their mouths to hold back the laughs invoked by the sight of Naruto's choice of boxers.

This however didn't stop the Hokage from taking pictures of Naruto trying to fit into the weight suit, and flopping around on the floor in his boxers, with the suit up to his knees.

After this Naruto quickly climbed into the suit, and got dresses once again.

"Now, there are no weights in the suit right now, but once you leave the village, Ibiki and Anko will put some in. Once they do, it will be hard for you to move around. Just giving you a warning about it. Now off all of you go."

Once again they all spared a quick bow, with Naruto giving a dirty look to the Hokage, one that promised payback of some form.

It took them little time to get of the East gate of the village, and on the road leading east towards the coast.

After an hour of traveling through the woods, Ibiki called a stop inside of a clearing.

"Alright Naruto, time to put some weights in the suit. You know what to do."

Naruto quickly striped down, and eagerly awaited the chance to see what the big deal was about the weight suit. Ibiki thought it best to start out with two pound weights, and placed them in the four slots on each leg, and the four slots on the arms, giving Naruto a total of thirty-two extra pounds.

Ibiki then helped Naruto get dressed, once dressed, Naruto was having a hard time moving around. He took a few minutes trying to move his arms, and legs, and once it looked like he was able to move some what normally, they continued on the way to Wave Country.

* * *

In about two weeks time, the three had nearly made it to the coast. They had settled into a normal routine as they went along. 

First thing in the morning Anko would lead Naruto through some morning exercises. This was to help him get into shape, and get used to his added weight. He would do pushups, sit ups, and jumping jacks. Then she would take him out to the woods, and have him run back and forth, from her location, to the camp and back.

This all started out hard for him to do, but he slowly got used to it. Hikari helped of course by boosting his stamina, and increasing his recovery rate. After his morning work out, Naruto would clean up inside of the nearest spring, then help to clean up the camp site. If there was nothing nearby to bathe in, he skipped that part in went straight to cleaning the site up. Then they would head out on the way to Wave Country.

When they stopped for lunch, Anko would again take him aside, and practice his kunai, and shuriken skills with him. From his throwing, and handling, to close range and hand to hand combat with them. All of this Naruto soaked up, and quickly got the hang of handling them. Anko also showed him several other uses for kunai. From cleaning fish, to cutting fruits and vegetables. It almost seemed like she knew how to use a kunai for anything.. She even cut her own hair with the things! After lunch, and the afternoon training was done with, they went back on the road.

When dinner came around, Naruto would once again do exercises, and some kunai practice. After that Ibiki would start to try to teach him things about the country, and it's past. He started off first with the Yondaime, since he knew Naruto knew some things about him. From there he branched out to the legendary three Sennin, and then onto the Sandaime, and worked slowly back. With each lesson he would branch out to someone, or something that was connected to something before that.

At the end of the first week Ibiki gave Naruto a test to see what all he could remember. To his and Anko's surprise, he was able to recall almost everything perfectly on the written test. When asked if Hikari was helping him, Naruto answered no to it, and was very honest and truthful about it. They were both surprised that he could be so smart at such an age, and this was without any kind of formal education, or learning experience for the last year. They both had high hopes for him once he got to the Academy, they might even be able to talk the Hokage into letting him enter a little early.

During these trips, Naruto also practiced things with Hikari. At night, once they were sure Ibiki and Anko were asleep, Naruto would sneak out into the woods. There he would use scrapes of cloth from his old clothes to help practice the use of his new senses. At first they hit him hard, causing him to feel pain from all the new senses. From the sights, sounds, and smells, it almost overloaded his system.

Thankfully, Hikari had told him what to do to help limit this. When he was working with his sight, he would blindfold himself with a few layers of torn clothe. Then, he would slowly start to unwrap them, and let his eyes get used to the light. This of course wasn't too hard at night, but it hurt like hell during the day. He managed to get the full use of his new eyes halfway through the first week. One of the first things he noticed with his enhanced sight, was that he saw things in greater detail. He could see the texture of the tree bark, and the veins of the leaves. He also noticed that at night, things were as clear as day to him.

All of this was amazing to him. He was enjoying being able to see in such detail. He found that he could focus, and zoom in. He was able to see things that were several feet, and yards ahead of him perfectly clear. He also found out that he could almost see a greater distance away. How far he was never sure, but he knew with enough focus he could see a LONG way.

He next worked with his hearing. Hikari warned him it would hurt, and it would be overwhelming. So before starting he once again, used the torn clothe to put in his ears. Once done, Hikari enhanced his hearing. At once he could hear all kinds of sounds. Sounds that no normal human could hear. From the sound of things crawling and digging in the dirt beneath him, to the sounds of bugs crawling across the trees. He could even hear the snoring of Anko in the camp, and the sound of a river that was no where near them.

Hikari started to tell him to block things out, to focus on one sound. This helped to filter the other noises out, and slowly from there he got used to it. He let himself become more aware of the things around him. He could hear things right around him. The bugs crawling, squirming, flying around. He could hear the wind blowing through his hair, and the undergrowth.

He slowly started to hear the sounds of the campsite better, and the sound of the river. He listened to each sound, and sorted them away. Almost into a mental filing cabinet, for future uses. This way he would remember the sounds for future uses, and be able to identify them.

He gradually took the clothe pieces out, and braced himself for the sounds once again. This time it didn't hit him as hard, and he managed to adjust to it quicker. By the time he was done, he noticed it was almost dawn. He quickly hurried back to the campsite, and jumped into his bag.

With his hearing, he noticed the same things as with his sight. When he focuses on a sound, he could hear it perfectly, and was able to tell from which direction it was coming from. He experimented with it some too. During the day, he listened to things while they walked. He noticed he could hear the heartbeats of everyone around them. He could hear the breathes leaving each person as the breathed out and in. He was able to heart all the animals in the woods around them, and hear Ibiki grumbling about Anko's behavior at times when he went to bathe.

After taking a few days to rest, he got ready to train with his next enhanced sense, smell. This one Hikari, and Naruto decided to do during the day first. When Hikari triggered it, his nose was over loaded will all the scents coming into it.

He smelled the moist dirt of the ground around the path. The smell of all sorts of animal excrements. Those he quickly tried to ignore. He could smell the dango, which she hadn't had in weeks, Naruto asked her. He could smell the sake that both Ibiki and Anko would drink at night sometimes. All of these things were new to him. He could even smell blood, from a fresh kill in the woods.

When it came time to kill something for dinner, the smell of blood nearly overwhelmed his new ability. He quickly got it under control, and learned from Hikari that it could become extremely useful as a Ninja. The scent of dinner cooking was enough to make him drool, just thinking about how great the food would be.

A normal three or four day trip at ninja speed, which was jumping from tree to tree at high speeds, turned into a two and a half week trip. This is partly from the stops for three meals a day, and the training of Naruto. None of the three cared though. They all enjoyed the time together.

Naruto got to see sides of Ibiki and Anko, that not many people have seen before. He learned that Ibiki was a great cook, able to make anything they found out in the woods a meal worthy of any restaurant in Konoha.

Anko was also a different person out here. She was more light hearted, and carefree. She seemed to be an entirely different person from the one he had seen in the city. She was more open with her feelings, and she even told Naruto a little of her past slowly, and told things to him that she never really told to others.

Both Ibiki and Anko were also surprised at the changes in themselves and each other. Ibiki had never acted this way before, at least not in front of any one. The same applied with Anko, she never let anyone see this side of her. She was afraid people would see it as a weakness for her, and try to take advantage of it.

Both were surprised in the changes from the other person. But they both knew that only one person was responsible for this change. Uzumaki Naruto. Ibiki and Anko were happy, for once they could drop the masks they would wear in front of everyone in the village. For once they could be themselves, and relax a little. They were both enjoying this time together with Naruto.

After two and a half weeks of travel, they were at the coast finally. They were in a small village, that offered services for crossing over to the small island country of Wave Country. Shortly after they arrived, they managed to get on a boat, and head across to the first island that made up Wave Country. When they arrived, they were in a small village, that still seemed to be doing good for itself. Once there Ibiki and Anko decided on getting a couple of rooms at an Inn for the night. Once they had settled in, Naruto let them in on some news.

Waving his hands to get their attention, he started to write, _"I have to go alone from here. I can't say where I am going, since I don't want to risk you following me. I'm not sure how long I will be gone, but at the most a week should be enough. I'm going to need to take some things with me. Food, water, the usual things. Who knows, I might be able to talk Hikari-nee-chan to let me bring some things back besides what I am looking for._

"_So I'll see you guys in a week, don't get into any trouble with out me!"_. Naruto had to add his little fox like smile at this. He knew they could handle themselves, but he wanted to see them fight, since he had only been able to see them do little things with their skills.

During the trip, they had to increase the weight some more, from all the training in the morning, and at night, Naruto was able to quickly adapt to the weight load. So they ended up boosting his load to five pound weights in each pocket on his arms and legs, bringing him up to eighty pounds.

Naruto was almost able to move just as freely with this weight now, and had promised Anko that he would continue the morning work out. So Hikari had little doubt he would be in much trouble should he have to run. If he was, he still had the Kitsune Illusion that could protect him.

Over the last few weeks, Naruto had also been working on that technique, and was almost able to use it at will a 1/4th of the time he wanted to. Other times it would still only work when he was afraid or in danger.

After he was given food, water, and some money, he headed out to the forest outside of the village. Once there, he walked for about thirty minutes, before heading back towards the coast. When he got back to the coast, he followed the shoreline north, till he could see a second island. By this time it was nearly night, and Naruto stopped and did his nighttime exercises, and had a cold meal.

He continued this path for two more days, he even took short runs, Hikari told him to do this, till at last he was at the northern most point of Wave Country. From there he went into the woods once again, and looked around for, and listened for a waterfall. He looked for almost two hours before he finally heard, and smelled the waterfall.

Walking towards it, Hikari had some final words of warning.

"_**Otouto, be careful. I have no idea what may have moved into this lair since I last left it. The last time I was here was nearly a hundred years ago. In that time, a number of lesser demons could have come, or better yet, another Demon Lord. So…"**_

'_How is another DEMON LORD moving in supposed to be BETTER! That could cause all sorts of problems for me. They could try to KILL ME!. What am I supposed to do then?'_

"_**Calm down, I was fairly well liked among the other Lords, so when they feel my power coming from you, they should not do anything. If they do… Then we might have to do something I've wanted to hold off on. Let's just hope no one decided to move in ok. Don't think of anything else."**_

Naruto couldn't help BUT to think about what could happen if another Lord was in the Lair. While walking to the waterfall, he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary. No Genjutsu, no strange animals, markings, scents, or anything. What if someone found a way to break through? What if another Lord was inside.. What would he do..

"**_I know you are scared, but trust me. The reason you did not see any Genjutsu is because I am with you. With me inside of you, and my power in you, it will not affect you. So don't get too worked up about that. It is nothing to worry about."_**

With those last words, Naruto nodded his head, and walked towards the cliff wall. Once there, he turned towards the waterfall, and walked to it. At first, even with his enhanced vision, he could not see anything. But as he got closer he could see a cave behind the falls. Finally he was at the falls, and inched on the small ledge behind it. He was careful to stay right up against the wall, that was until he fell backwards into the cave opening.

_'Damn it.. I wish you would have said something Nee-chan.'_

Naruto pulled himself up, and pulled a lantern out from his pack. Lighting it with a flint rock, just like Ibiki taught him, he walked further into the cave.

Naruto had no idea how long he walked, but he noticed that he could no longer smell and hear the waterfall. All he could smell was stale air, and dust. Even the air tasted dusted when he opened his mouth to breathe.

After walking for who knows how long, he finally came to a wide chamber. Once there he followed the instructions given to him.

"_**Naruto, first thing you need to do is head to the wall on the right. There should be a groove in the wall there. Get your flint out, and make a spark in the groove, and jump back as fast as you can. Thankfully, the groove is at the same level as your arms stretched out above you all the way. Hurry up, and remember, jump back after you make the spark."**_

Naruto walked to his right, and reached his hands up. Feeling along the wall, and stretching, he found the groove. He reached into his pack, and pulled out his flint. Reaching up again, and remembering the words, he make a quick strike with the flint, and jumped back as fast as he could.

The second the spark hit the groove, it came to life. Fire raced along the groove, and throughout the cave. Some of the lines of fire raced across the ceiling, forming intricate designs. Others did the same, racing along the walls, and down halls, going deeper into the cave, all sweeping around, forming designs. Naruto stood there amazed at the sight before him.

On the wall was the symbol for Light, or Hikari. On the ceiling of the cave, there was the design of a nine-tailed fox outlined in fire. On another wall, that had no fire racing around it, was an ornate tapestry. On the tapestry was a golden nine-tailed fox, standing over a small village. The villagers were gathered around the fox, all looking happy, almost as if they were celebrating something. Each villager had their arms raised into the air, with gifts placed upon them.

"_**Ah, I remember that village. I was the protector of them.. They were a small village, who only wished to live in peace, and asked for nothing else. They would live off of the land, and what they took from the land, they also gave back. The villagers would pay their respects to each thing. If they killed wild game, they would pray for it's soul to travel safely, and thank it for allowing them to kill it.**_

_**"They thanked the clouds when rain came, and watered their crops. They were a very spiritual group of people. I respected them for that. They led a simple life, and were kind to everyone who came to their village. They were the ideal group of humans.. If the world was covered in them, there would never had been a need for some of the destruction that was done..**_

_**"They worshipped me, and thanked me. They even gave me gifts, some of which are still here in this cave today. Weapons, robes, fine silks, just about anything, including food. They were some of the only humans I ever walked around in front of while in my human form…**_

_**"But enough about memory lane, we need to find another gift that they gave to me. Aside from all the things a girl could want, or a god being worshipped wanted, they gave me things to keep safe. I would store things for them, things they wished to never be destroyed. One of those would happen to be the scrolls for Sign Language. They should be along the wall, under the tapestry. Be careful with them though, they are old, and could fall apart if not handled properly."**_

Naruto walked over to the wall, and looked around. He saw shelves there, and large piles of gold and silver. He also saw things he had never seen before, pieces of metal, or so he guessed, that he could not describe. He continued to look around, but still found nothing.

_'Ano, Nee-chan, I don't see any scrolls. I see gold, silver, some other strange metals. I also see weapons, and armor, as well as clothes.. But I do not see any scrolls.'_

"_**Then I am sorry Otouto.. It seems someone must have come and taken the scrolls. I wish they would let me know when they do things like this. They could have at least left a note or something.. Of all the inconsiderate things a demon could do.. Borrowing things without asking, and not leave a note to let me know where it is.. I bet you Ragnarok did this, he always does things like this, I know he must have been the one to do it.**_

_**"Damn dragons and always wanting to learn things.. They will never be happy till they know all there is to know about the world.. Oh, I am sorry Naruto.. Even I am prone to temper tantrums. I just get pissed when people take things like this without asking, saying, or leaving a note.. Now we have no idea where it might be. Ok, so scratch that plan. We may have to go awhile with out you being able to talk, you might have to write everything down.."**_

Here she could tell Naruto was starting to get upset.

"_**I truly am sorry I wish there was something else I could do for you. I will think about things we could do.. But I can not make any promises for you right now. I wouldn't want to get your hopes up too much."**_

_'I.. I understand Nee-chan.. I just wish there was something else we could do.. I don't want to go through the rest of my life without a voice.. I know I am going to get picked on, and who knows what other trouble I might get into.. I just want to be able to talk to people.. I want to tell Anko-nee-chan, and Ibiki-aniki.. I want to talk to them, and call out to them.. I know it must be frustrating for them to have to stop everything just to read something that I want to say.'_

Naruto broke down in tears here, silently sobbing to himself. Thinking he would never be able to say the many things he wanted to say to his family, and maybe his friends when he got them.

"_**Otouto.. Please don't cry, we will find a way to fix this problem. It just might take some time. People will pick on you, but you have to remember, you have Ibiki, Anko, and myself that will always be there for you. No matter what we do, or you may do, none of us will see it as a burden. We will always love you, no matter what happens. Nothing will change that. **_

_**"You just need to be strong. Know that we will be there, if not in person, then in your mind, and in your heart. Know, that we will do anything for you. We care for you, and nothing you do will change that. Even if Anko and Ibiki have to read what you say to them, they will still love you the same they do now. So please cheer up.. When I see you crying, it makes me want to cry with you.."**_

_'I'm sorry Nee-chan.. I just don't know if I can handle it.. I don't know if I will be able to become a good ninja now. I want to do my best, but like this I don't know if I can.'_

"_**Now you are just being foolish Naruto. I know you can do it. Ibiki and Anko, even the Hokage believe that you can do it. We all believe you can, and we will all help you how ever we can. All that needs to be done is for YOU to believe in yourself, and never stop believing. Do everything you can to reach for that dream. Do not let anything get in your way. Don't doubt yourself, or anything. Doing that, you will never become what you dreamed of. Once you have a dream, you can't give it up because of something like this. You have to fight for it, with every thing you have. Once you reached it, you hold onto it with everything you have, and never give up on it. You protect your dream, willing to give up your own life for it.**_

_**"I can tell you now, that is what the Yondaime did. He dreamed of keeping the Leaf village safe. He loved his village, and the people inside of it. He gave his life to stop me, and I'm sure he wouldn't expect anything less from the person he selected PERSONALY to be my cage. He would expect them to do the same.**_

_**"Now enough of this, we should be heading back now. I'm sure Ibiki and Anko are waiting for us. We may not have found what we wanted, but we have done a great deal on this trip. You've learned how to use your new senses, as well as how much Ibiki and Anko both care for you. I think that is more then enough treasure for this trip.. But, I suppose if anything I can tell you where some nice goodies are to take back. Some of the things I mention will be useful for you one day, and may even be needed."**_

With those final words, Hikari guided Naruto through the maze of tunnels, and pointed out things for him to take. After that she told him how to extinguish the flames that went throughout the cave. Naruto wasted no time after that in heading back to the small village where he left Ibiki and Anko.

* * *

**3 days after Naruto left Hikari's Lair.**

Along the way back, Naruto' mood slowly got better. He began to see the truth of the words Hikari spoke to him. His spirits started to rise, and he enjoyed his training more and more. He would run, as fast as possible for short distances. This helped to build his endurance, and stamina, along with his strength with the weights on him.

By now Naruto was completely use to the weights he had on, and had to remember to take them off, instead of being able to tell right away, when he went to take baths in springs and small rivers. He continued the training Anko gave him, and Hikari had him increase it. Instead of just 10 pushups and sit ups, she had him doing triple. The same happened with his jumping jacks.

Now, all of this might not seem like much to most people, but to a five year old, who was only used to running from angry mobs, this was new to him, and tired him out the first few days he did it. After that he started to get used to the strain that was put on his muscles.

He would also talk with Hikari some when he had some down time, or when training. This was mostly to help him learn to multi-task, even though he had no idea what he was doing. Hikari would often just start talking with him about anything, or ask him questions about the things Ibiki had taught him. During the time though, he never got much practice with his shuriken and kunai. He only had a few "live" ones that he could use to help him hunt and fish, from there he worked on the other skills Anko showed him for a kunai.

After the three days, Naruto was back at the small coastal village, and dragging himself down the street. He had run for most of the day, and he could feel it now. It was about mid-day, and he was dead tired. He slowly made his way back to the Inn he had last seen Anko and Ibiki at.

As he got to the Inn, he walked in and started to head up the stairs to his room. Before he got halfway up, he heard his named called out from below.

"Oh Naruto-kun, thinking about heading to the room without saying "Hi" to your big sister? Get your scrawny butt down here you little brat!" shouted Anko from a table at the back of the Inn.

Naruto only smiled, and made his way back down the stairs and over towards where Anko, and Ibiki, who was hard to see in the corner, were sitting. As he walked up he raised a hand and waved "Hi" to both. He had his backpack, and his large duffle bag on his shoulders, and was barely able to stand. His legs were killing him from running for so long with all the extra weight.

"Looks like you made it back in one piece shrimp. Want to grab something to eat before heading up to get cleaned? They have some REALLY great dango here, let's get you some and then you can get cleaned up and take a nap." with those words from Anko, Naruto dropped his bags to the floor, and climbed into the chair, while Anko ordered him some food, and a pitcher of water.

"We'll save the talking about what you found later, right now just drink some water. You look like you are dead on your feet kid. After you eat don't worry about cleaning up, cause it looks like you need a soft bed for awhile."

Naruto nodded his head as he grabbed a glass of water, and sipped it all down as fast as he could. After the first glass, he waved for something to write on, just to tell them a few things.

"_I have a slave driver in my head.. She wanted me to run all the way back once we got with in eyesight of the village.. So I ran all the way.. From the hill about five miles away from here to the northeast."_

Anko laughed at the thought of the Kyubi pushing him this hard to train, Ibiki just shook his head in disbelief.

Naruto quickly finished his small meal, and got up to head to the room. Before he could even think about getting out of the chair, Ibiki had picked him up, and started towards the stairs, and the room.

Anko stopped and picked up his bags. When she went to get the duffle bag, she was surprised it nearly weighed as much as Naruto weight suit.

_'Blasted fox.. With this extra weight we are really going to have to increase his next load. Wonder what all she had him pack in here in the first place. This is way too much for just some scrolls and books.'_

* * *

**Later that night**

Naruto finally woke up later on that night, to see Anko sitting next to his bed in a chair, with her head resting on the bed.

"_**It's about midnight, and she has been sitting here since they brought you up. I would say try to take a quick bath, and get back to bed."**_

_'But I don't feel tired any more.. I was hoping to talk with them, and give them those presents you let me take for them.'_

"_**There will be enough time for that in the morning. Right now, you could either take a bath, or go back to sleep. You may feel fine, but you are exhausted, your muscles need time to relax a little more. Remember, you did have a long run, and almost all of it non-stop. So don't argue with me."**_

_'And who's idea was it to do that. I sure didn't think it up.'_

"_**I could get you to run laps around the village when we get back. That might be even better then what we did today."**_

_'No no no no, that's okay, I'll just go back to sleep then. You really are mean at times Nee-chan.' _

"_**Yes, I know, but then again, every little brother thinks that their older sister is mean. I'm sure when Anko and Ibiki find out how much your duffle weighs, they will think the same thing I did. So they will probably increase your training, and your weights too. So I win."**_

After that Hikari turned around from the front of the cage, and gave the "V" sign to Naruto behind her back.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto laid back down, and fell into a nice warm and deep sleep.

* * *

**Next morning.**

It was about nine in the morning before Naruto finally woke up. When he did the first thing that caught his attention was the smell of eggs and bacon some where in the room.

Sitting up, and rubbing his eyes to clear the, Naruto looked around the room and saw Ibiki standing at the door with a tray of food. "Hey Naruto, Anko I got breakfast for you two. Since it seems like you wanted to sleep in, thought I would bring it on up.".

Naruto looked around the room for Anko, and didn't see her. That was when both him, and Ibiki looked towards the door leading to the bathroom. They could both hear the humming coming from the bathroom clearly now.

Clearing his throat, Ibiki knocked on the door, and stated once again, loudly, "Hey Anko! I brought some food up for you and Naruto. I'll just leave yours on the bed, and let Naruto eat his. Thought I'd hurry up if I were you, since Naruto could probably eat a whole buffet by himself."

Ibiki gave a wink towards Naruto as he placed the food on Anko's bed, and handed Naruto his.

"Once you both are done eating, we can talk. Just try not to eat Anko's too, she's been worried about you, and hasn't had much to eat lately. If you are feeling up to it, we might be able to head back to Konoha tonight, or we could wait till tomorrow morning. We'll talk about that later though."

While Ibiki was saying this, Anko came out of the bathroom with a scowl on her face.

"You know Ibiki, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were like that pervert, Kakashi. If that were true, I'd have to use a kunai to make you less of a man." Ibiki got a worried look on his face when Anko said that from behind him.

"Thankfully though, I took some clothes into the bathroom with me. I know Hikari and the Hokage wouldn't want me prancing around in front of Naruto. So be glad I wanted him to sleep in here last night."

"Hehe, sorry about that Anko, for some reason I expected you to be awake already, and waiting for Naruto to get up. Seeing how back home you had to be at work around daylight. Guess you are getting a little off your schedule. And don't ever group me with Kakashi and the likes of him. I wouldn't be caught dead walking around with that book of his."

Nodding, Anko sat down on her bed and ate her plate of food. There was silence in the room for the next twenty minutes.

Naruto finished his plate, and went to the bathroom with a clean set of clothes in hand. He took his time taking a hot shower to relax his sore legs, and try to take the aches and pains out of the rest of his body. He stood in the middle of the stream from the shower head just soaking in the warmth, and relaxing.

After his shower, he changed into his clean clothes, and walked out to see everything cleaned up, and Anko and Ibiki sitting on one bed waiting for Naruto.

"So, ready to tell us what all happened?" asked Anko.

Naruto nodded, and began to write out everything that happened since he left, he told them everything, except for the things he brought back. When he told them of the scrolls not being there, they both were visibly saddened by the news. When he said he was fine with it, and would still try his best to complete his dream, they were both glad it didn't change him much.

Once he was done, he went over to his duffle bag, and brought it to his bed, and started to look through it. Inside he found what he was looking for. Reaching in, he pulled out something that was about the size of Anko's forearm, and covered in red silk, with golden silk threaded through it in the design of a giant dragon. What ever was in the silk, could not be that big, but just the silk alone had to have made it very expensive.

Naruto got up, and picked up the small silk wrapped item, he walked over to Anko, and handed it to her. Anko was amazed at the design of the silk, and how amazing it felt in her hands. She slowly unwrapped the silk, which seemed to come in several layers. Each layer had the dragon in a different scene. One with the dragon flying through the air over a mountain, the next with the dragon circling the mountain. The next with it wrapped around the mountain. The final layer had the dragon wrapped around the mountain, with it's mouth open breathing fire down the sides of the mountain.

Once the final layer was removed, she saw a small tanto. The tanto's sheath and handle were made out of ebony, and had once again, the design of a dragon etched into it. When she went to pull the blade out, it slid out without a sound. The handle was big enough for her to be able to use it one handed, while the blade covered the rest of the length of the weapon.

The blade itself seemed to be a mixture of red swirls, and regular metal, or steel in this case. The blade was slim, flat on one side, and was razor sharp on the other, sharper then any of her kunai have ever been. The swirls always seemed to be moving, and Anko would have sworn she had too much Sake if she had not known where it came from.

The handle of the tanto was shaped like a dragon's head, with the mouth and teeth pointing towards the blade of the tanto. The tanto she was holding now, was far from your normal tanto. She could feel the power flowing through it while she held it in her hands.

She looked at Naruto, wondering what was special about it, and with an amazed and confused look on her face.

She was amazed that Hikari, and Naruto would give her something crafted this way. There was no one in this world right now that could beat the craftsmanship of this weapon.

She was confused as to how they could give something this beautiful to her. She wasn't sure if she deserved a weapon like this.

Naruto quickly grabbed his scroll, and pen to explain about the weapon.

"_Hikari-nee-chan says it is a weapon that was forged with the help of the Dragon Lord Ragnarok. He helped a village of expert forgers create weapons that could be surpassed by none. Sadly this village has long since ceased to exist, but some of the weapons are still around today. This one is called Dragon's Fang. It is forged out of tempered steel, tempered by the flames of Ragnarok. The sheath and handle are etched ebony wood, polished to a perfect shine. The only light it will reflect is from the designs on it._

_"It also has the ability for produce flames across it's blade when chakra is channeled into it. These flames will burn anything, except the user, and the specially treated handle and sheath. Anything else will be burned. These flames are said to be the power of Ragnarok that he put into the forging process._

_"Also, if you slice your hand with it, and drip your blood on the blade, only you would be able to pull it from it's sheath. This was a trait that Ragnarok demanded to be placed on all his weapons. The reason for this was so that only those who were given the weapons freely, and not had them forcefully taken away could use them. Once your blood is on the blade, only you, or someone of your blood could use it._

_"Hikari-nee-chan also says there are special seals carved inside of the sheath that helps in this. She won't explain it, but she believes that once you have placed blood on it, it will stay yours, and no one else would be able to use it. The only way for someone else to use it, would be you handing it to them. The special seals in the sheath are designed for this purpose._

_"Hikari-nee-chan and I thought it was a good weapon for you. She thought you might like it, since you prefer using small bladed weapons in combat. She also thought it might be helpful for cooking a certain snake.. She cheered and hollered, and cried out for roasted snake when she thought of giving this to you.. Mostly because both of you seem to hate Orochimaru so much."_

Anko was speechless at this. A weapon, that a Demon Lord helped to forge, from a long dead civilization, was given to her by another Demon Lord, who shared the same taste in enemies as herself. Anko was REALLY starting to like the way Hikari thought.

"Naruto, no, Otouto, I don't know what to say. Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough.. But I will always take care of this, and will remember both you and Hikari for this. Thank you both.." As she was finishing she got up off the bed and gave Naruto a big hug, thanking him once again for the present.

Once Anko released him, went back to his paper and started writing.

"_I'm sorry Aniki, I couldn't think of anything I saw there that you would like. Hikari-nee-chan was the same way. Maybe another time I will be able to find you something if we ever come back. I brought back some things that Hikari-nee-chan wanted me to use when I got older.. As well as something to replace the bulky weight suit. It is a small set of ankle weights, and wrist weights. They have a special seal of some kind on them, that increase the weight in them, but only Hikari can activate them. Something about demon training techniques, with only demons able to activate them. The seal can only be seen by demons too, so there doesn't seem to be a way to copy them."_

When he finished, he raised his pant's leg, and showed them the ankle weights he now had on. They didn't look special, they actually just looked like any other run of the mill weights you could get. They next looked at his wrists, and the weights there. Once again, nothing looked special about them. They almost looked just like regular weight bands, or wrist bands.

"_The rest of the stuff in my bag is things she wants me to use when I become a ninja, and not before then. If I do, she said she would use a special technique to send them to another one of her lairs… I dunno if she is bluffing or not, and don't want to test her."_

Anko nodded, and looked to Ibiki. Ibiki nodded, and stood up before addressing Naruto.

"Well, it looks like you had a fun time, and no worries about not getting me anything. I don't use many weapons besides the standard set for most Jonin. But like I said, no hard feelings. I think, since you seem to be pretty well rested, and Anko agrees, we should head on back to the village. And since your nee-chan is willing to help with training, we will let her set the weight for your new weights. I don't think we brought enough for the suit to begin with, so this helps us out.

"On the way back, we will be doing the same things we did on the way here. The only difference is we might try to teach you a few new things. Most of which will be simple Taijutsu, with no weapons. So I hope you are ready to gain some nice new aches and pains. Your normal morning and evening work outs are going to be tripled, according to Anko. So..instead of the 30 pushups, sit ups, and jumping jacks, Anko is going to make you do 100, just for the nice round number. So pack the rest of your things up, we are going to try to make it back as soon as we can."

Naruto nodded his head, and scrambled to pack his things up, and get ready to go. It took him less then ten minutes to pack everything up, and meet them down stairs.

The trip back was fairly uneventful. They feel back into the routine they developed weeks before.

In the morning was Naruto's workout with Anko, consisting of 100 pushups, 100 sit ups, and 100 jumping jacks. After that he would do the running from the camp, to what ever position Anko selected, this often changed each day, and was never the same.

Ibiki also continued his history lessons with Naruto, often covering other countries this time, and their relation with the Fire country. This time though, he would give Naruto a test every other day, just to test how well he retained the information.

It almost seemed as if they had only been on the road for days, and not the two weeks it actually was. Everyone keeping busy must have had something to do with it. Enjoying each other's company was also a big help for everyone involved too.

Along the way, Anko was joking around more, and playing little jokes on Naruto. She also told him some about the other Jonins, and some of the Chunins of the Konoha. She also told him about several of the jokes she had played on them herself. But when she did, she made sure Naruto knew not to tell anyone else. If he did, she would shave his head bald.

Naruto also learn simple Taijutsu skills from Ibiki and Anko during the lunch breaks. This took the place of his weapons training every other day. They both planned on teaching him more, but that would have to wait till he was a little older, and able to use his chakra better.

Once they arrive at the gates of Konoha, Naruto was happy to be back home. He knew not many liked him in the village, but he still had Anko and Ibiki with him. He was mostly happy to be home, and able to get "live" weapons. Ones that are not as blunt as his current ones. Anko had drilled into him the proper uses of his weapons, and he had become pretty good with them for a child. So they both promised to get him new ones.

He was also glad to be home, because now he would get to see where he would live for the next few years of his life. He could hardly wait to see what Anko's, and Ibiki's houses looked like.

They arrived home late at night, and were told the Hokage would see them in the morning. With that they went their separate ways. Ibiki went to his apartment, and Anko to her own, along with Naruto.

As they walked, Anko talked to him about a few "house" rules he would have to follow.

"Well, first thing you need to know is that my place is pretty small right now. Kind of a one bedroom place, with a small living room, with the kitchen built into it. I never expected things to change like this.. So as soon as I can, I plan on getting us a better place to stay, that way you can have your own room, and it would be more comfortable for us both. For now, you will have to sleep on the couch I suppose, since it folds out. I'd let you stay in the bed with me, but it is small, and I wouldn't want people getting the wrong ideas.

"Things normally start around my place at 5 a.m. sharp. If you aren't up by then, you might get left behind. So even if we get to bed late, be ready to get up early. Once up, we will head to one of the surrounding training areas for our morning workouts. This time though, you will be running laps around the village. To start off, I think two laps would be fine."

"_**Haha, told you she would have you running around the place. But don't worry, the village isn't that big.. At least it won't be once you get used to it and running hundreds of laps.."**_

_'I hate you… One good thing I guess is there won't be anyone to bother me. No one throwing rocks, bottles, and other things at me.'_

"Hey Naruto, you listening to me? Don't zone out, you might miss something important. Now, don't worry about answering the phone or anything, I have an answering machine for that when I'm not home. Don't answer the door if I'm not home either. You never know who it could be, and seeing how both of us have a few people who hate our guts, it wouldn't do to have them catching you by surprise like that. So only answer it is I am home, that way I can take care of things if needed.

"No digging through my clothes either. Not going to have you turn into a pervert like most of the guys in this village. If you do, you better hope that Hikari can regenerate lost body parts. I will hurt you so much you would wish you were dead. So, do not become a pervert."

"_**She would have to get in line. You turn perverted, I would make you pay myself. And I can do it quicker then her, since I live in your body."**_

Naruto gulped at the dual warning from his two big sisters.

"Eh, dinner might be take out most of the time.. I have no idea on how to cook, so we might just hit up the local Dango places most of the time. Don't touch my Sake in the fridge, or any other drinks in there. You will only drink water, juice, and or milk. Most of the time though, I wouldn't touch the milk.. I have a habit of letting it expire on me.

"Um, what else.. Oh yeah, you will help clean up the place. Don't worry about my room, I will handle it, unless I tell you to. The washing machine and stuff for laundry is just outside my apartment. Hopefully when we get the new place we will have our own, I hate having to wait to wash clothes.

"Um.. No loud noises late at night. I don't care what time you go to bed, just wake up when I say, and we will be fine. If you have friends over, just try to keep it down when you are playing around, k? I think that is about it for now, oh here's my place."

Anko led Naruto up two flights of stairs, and up to the third floor. She walked to the apartment numbered 359, and was about to unlock the door till she saw a piece of paper handing on the door.

"Humph, wonder if I forgot to pay the water bill again.."

_Dear Anko,_

_I have taken the liberty of finding that new place you were looking for, and moved most of your things there. I have also furnished it, and had some things for Naruto delivered. Your new place is on the outskirts of the village, near the training ground located by the Memorial Stone. It used to belong to a close friend of mine, and I think he would insist on you two living there. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Just head east into the woods around the Memorial Stone, and you should find it._

_The place is very isolated, and not many have been there in the last few years. The only ones who go by there any more are the ones who I pay to clean the place up every so often. Privacy should not be a problem, and it has a dojo for you to train it._

_Also, Anko just don't throw any of your wild parties there. I know how you love them. The refrigerator and cabinets are all stocked, so there should be no need for shopping. I hope you enjoy the place._

_Take care, and enjoy,_

_Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage._

"Hm, looks like we got evicted while we were gone, come on, the Hokage set up a new place for us, try to keep up with me."

Naruto nodded, and they both took off. Naruto trailing Anko, even though she was hardly going that fast. Both knew he would get faster, till then she wanted to stay close by him, since she knew some people might try to attack him again.

They ran for about thirty minutes at Naruto's top speed, and finally came to the forest surrounding the Memorial Stone. Anko quickly headed east into the woods, and they kept going for another 45 minutes before they reached a small path leading to a two story house.

Naruto couldn't tell much about the house right now, since there was very little light. From what he could tell, the house looked to be bigger then the apartment complex Anko used to live in. Walking towards the front of the house, there was a covered walkway, that went about 20 feet in front of the house. It was the same symbol on the front of the walkway as Naruto had on his jacket, and most Leaf Chunin and Jonin had on their jackets.

Anko stopped suddenly when she was about to enter the walkway, and just looked at the symbol.

"T-this this is, that old man has a lot of explaining to do when I talk to him; we shouldn't be living here."

Puzzled, Naruto pulled on the sleeve of her jacket, wondering what was wrong.

"Don't worry about it Naruto. This house, well it belonged to someone very special to the village. Once I talk to the Hokage, I'll tell you about him."

By this time, Naruto was fairly tired, and ready to get to bed. From running most of the day, and the sprint to this house, Naruto was worn out. So following Anko, he didn't pay much attention to the things they passed as they went into the house.

Anko led Naruto through the house, and through what looked to be a Dojo. Naruto noticed that he could smell the forest again, and looked around. They were walking under a walkway, that opened up to his left, into a clearing in the middle of the house, that also looked like it could be used for training. In the middle of the clearing though was a small river, that looked to run across the entire clearing, and through the house itself.

Naruto's thoughts were confirmed when he looked to the other side of the clearing, and saw that the river did indeed go under the house. The house seemed to rise up, on wooden legs, allowing room for the water to flow beneath it.

Anko stopped Naruto before they got to that part on the side of the house they were on.

"Damn it, it has been awhile since I've been here, kind of lost here; so give me a minute to get my bearings again."

"Ah, don't tell me the great Anko is lost. Haha, who would have thought it."

Anko looked up surprised to hear this voice.

"Ibiki, what the hell are you doing here? Don't tell me the old man moved you here too."

"Yeah, left a note saying he thought it would be best if we stayed in the same place. I have to admit though, I was surprised he moved us here. So many memories, both good and bad. Can't say I am comfortable living here myself, but you have to admit, it seems right. I think he would have wanted Naruto to live here, just like he wanted those bastards in the village to see him as a..."

"Yeah, I know Ibiki. It's just, I don't think we should be living here. It doesn't feel right to me. But I agree. I think he would have wanted Naruto to live here. But there has to be something else to this. Naruto looks like he is dead on his feet."

"Sure, your room is on the second floor, near the front of the house. Naruto's is right next to yours, and mine is right next to his. So there won't be problems with any of us getting lost. I was just looking around again, and getting to know the place again. So just follow me, and I will take you to your rooms."

Anko and Naruto followed Ibiki back towards the front of the house. As they got there, they turned left on the walkway they were on currently, and made another left to head up some stairs. Once on the stairs Ibiki pointed to a room behind them that would be Anko's.

"That's your room, it has it's own private bath and shower. Also has a hot tub, same with all the rooms we are using, since they were the master bed rooms. All your things have been moved in, but nothing has been unpacked. Naruto's and my rooms are just down the hall. So follow me Naruto, and I will show you to your room, and you can get some sleep."

Anko went into her room, and started unpacking while Naruto was taken to his new room.

Naruto walked in, and the first thing he noticed was how big the room was. The room looked almost as big as the Hokage's office, with two doors on the right side of the room. One looked to be a glass door, that probably led to the bathroom. The other was more then likely a closet.

On the right side of the room was what looked like a monster of a bed. The corners of the bed went all the way to the ceiling, and had curtains that fell down around it, except for at the head of the bed. Currently the curtains at the foot, and the left side of the bed were open. Naruto didn't pay much attention to anything else, and slowly walked towards his new bed, and dropped his packs, and stripped down along the way. By the time he got to the bed, he had left a trail of clothes, and gear from the door to the foot of the bed.

Naruto turned, and waved to Ibiki before he climbed into the bed and laid down. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he was sound asleep.

Ibiki chuckled, and turned off the lights before heading to his own room for a good night's sleep.

The next morning brought Anko into Naruto's room, and pulling him out of bed.

"Hey, brat, time to wake up. We got to get ready to meet the Hokage, and you can't go smelling like you've been without a bath for weeks. So hurry up and get cleaned up. We have to be there around seven, it's almost six now, so we don't have much time."

Naruto got up off the floor rubbing his eyes, and looking around. He didn't know where he was at first, till he saw Anko standing in front of him.

"Come on, we don't have all day. Hurry up and get a shower or something."

Naruto got up on unsteady legs and nodded before getting a change of clothes, and heading to the shower. When he walked in he noticed the bathroom walls were covered in bamboo stalks, and on the left side of the room in the corner was going three or four feet away from the main wall, and a shower head behind it. In the center of the room was a normal bath tub, set into the floor, large enough for Naruto to be able to lay down in it, even if he was as tall as Ibiki. On the right side of the room was a large tub, with watering already in it. There seemed to be steam always coming out of it, and making the room very warm.

Naruto walked over to the shower, and quickly washed up. He took some extra time to try to rinse all of the dirt and grime out of his hair. After this he stepped out and changed into his clothes before heading out of the bathroom, and back into the main bedroom.

Anko was waiting for him once he stepped out.

"Come on, we have to hurry up, and don't think I forgot about our training. We will get that done after we meet with the Hokage. That is unless he doesn't have a mission for me."

Naruto nodded, and followed her out, and to the front of the house where Ibiki was waiting for them. Once they were together, they all took off at Naruto's top speed towards the Hokage Tower. They arrived surprisingly, on time to meet with the Hokage. Once there, they were ushered into the office by the secretary, and told the Hokage would be with them shortly.

While waiting they talked about a few things, most of it was about Naruto's training, and other things included their duties now that they were back. They also talked about what to do when both would be away on missions. They could never come up with much, except to let him stay home alone, or see if one of the clans would look after him. Both of which did not appeal to them too much.

While talking, they failed to noticed the Hokage walk in from the same door they came through. He listened to the debate going on for some time before he decided to finally speak up.

"Well, I think there are a few other options that could be considered."

Hearing his voice, Ibiki and Anko jumped to their feet in attention, and said, "Good morning Hokage-sama." and followed it with a quick bow, which was imitated by Naruto.

"Oh, enough of that, how many times do I have to tell you two not to be so formal with me. Now, have a seat and I will explain the other options I was speaking of." He paused giving them a chance to return to their seats.

"The first one is he could stay at your current residence, and I could have an ANBU keep watch. Believe it or not there are some that wouldn't mind looking out for him."

Ibiki and Anko nodded, remembering the ones who helped watch Naruto in the hospital, and rescue Naruto on that night.

"The next is a little more "troublesome" to quote the Naras. It would be for him to accompany you on missions. But of course not all missions, most would be missions where you are to spy or just gather information. He could easily play the role of a younger brother for both of you, but it would be more effective with Anko I believe. Though this is up to you two alone, I can not make that choice for you.

"If none of those look favorable, then there is the options you two discussed. I'm sure he would be fine home alone, he is more mature then any other child his age should be. The only thing we would have to watch out for is him cooking for himself. Even then I would likely have a guard or two at the house.

"The next is him staying with another clan while you are gone. As you both are aware, there are a number of clans with children of his age. He made a good impression on many of them before he left, except for the Hyugas of course. But then again they are fairly hard to impress. Many wouldn't mind him though. But for his own safety, he would still have a guard shadowing him. Now, I think we should discuss your recent trip."

With that Ibiki and Anko went into the details of the trip from the time they left, to the time they returned. They described the training they decided to put Naruto through, for conditioning, as well as preparation for the Academy. When it came time to discuss what Naruto did on his own, they produced the scrolls Naruto had written to describe his trip.

During all of this, Naruto sat there, wondering what would happen since they did not find the scrolls. As he sat there, he would occasionally answer the Hokage's "yes" or "no" questions with a nod or shake of his head.

After the debriefing was done, the Hokage looked up at all three present.

"Well, it seems that the you three had a nice little trip. It is a shame we could not find those scrolls for you Naruto, and I am sorry. But you seem to have adjusted to the news fairly well. I know it is going to be hard to you, and stressful, but I believe you could do anything right now if you put your mind, and will into it. Do not give up hope though, we are still searching for the one who might be able to help you out. She is extremely hard to find, more so since she has a gambling debt the size of Konoha. But we are looking for her, until then we will have to make do.

"Now, it seems you are a quick learner Naruto. I think it might be best to start you in the academy soon. There are other children your age already in, some from the clans we were discussing earlier. This would be perfect time for you to meet others your age, and make some friends. One thing that you must watch out for though, is telling others where you live. There are some in the village who may not take to kindly to the news of where I have moved you. I'm sure Anko and Ibiki recognized the place last night.

"The place you are now living in Naruto is the former house of one of the greatest Shinobi to ever grace this village. He is also the one known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha, and who sealed the Kyubi in you. You are now in the home of the Yondaime Hokage. Many villagers will not like you living there because of that. They are fools, and I moved you there because I believe he would have wanted it that way. So be careful of who you tell this information to.

"Also, do not speak of the Kyubi to anyone. No one your age knows the Kyubi was sealed inside of you. They are all told that the Yondaime managed to destroy the demon. This was so that you could have a chance of growing up with out the other children fearing you. They may still show you some hatred though, all because of the way their parents behave. But do not let that discourage you.

"Now aside from that, I think you have some things you need to get done Naruto. Ibiki, Anko take the off until Monday. Once you have settled in, you will begin your regular duties again. Naruto, you will be start the academy on Monday. You seem to already be ahead of some with the lessons Ibiki has given you. Your teacher, who will be Umino Iruka, will know of your special situation. On all your papers, Ibiki and Anko will be listed as your guardians. I hope you enjoy the academy, and make several friends. Don't get into too much trouble though."

With that Anko, Ibiki and Naruto all stood up and bowed, before leaving out the door. Once out, Anko turned to Naruto and smiled down at him.

"Eh, Naruto, I hope you didn't forget about our training we missed out on. So come on, after that you get to clean your room. Depending on what the old man got ya, we might do some more shopping. You could use a little variety in your clothes."

Naruto let out an inaudible groan as he followed Anko to his morning torture session.


	5. Bullies and Spies

_Thoughts_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

_**Demon thoughts**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

**Previously**

"Eh, Naruto, I hope you didn't forget about our training we missed out on. So come on, after that you get to clean your room. Depending on what the old man got ya, we might do some more shopping. You could use a little variety in your clothes."

Naruto let out an inaudible groan as he followed Anko to his morning torture session.

* * *

**Five years later**

_'Damn it, this isn't fair, how the hell am I supposed to take them both on! What makes it even worst is that they both taught me everything I know!'_

At the moment Naruto was jumping through the woods surrounding his home. He was trying to survive a 2 v 1 attack. His attackers, none other then his sister and brother, Anko and Ibiki, and they were not holding anything back against him.

He had a few ways of completing this test.

First, was to get the crap utterly kicked out of him by both Ibiki and Anko. This in fact happened to his most of the time when he went against them, either in tandem like this, or solo. When they attacked together, it just ended up happening more often, and normally far quicker.

His second option, one that didn't happen that much, was for him to survive the attacks for the time limit set at the start. Today's time limit was three hours, and he had been on the run for an hour. So he had to stay alive for another two hours before he could be safe.

His final option, which has yet to happen in a tandem fight, was to beat both of them, or render them unable to fight. If it was just one of them, he had a chance of doing it, and had done it one a few occasions.

He just never has been able to do it when both of them attacked him.

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the unmistakable sound of a kunai whistling through the air. He stopped on the branch he was on, and jumped as high as he could, channeling some chakra into his legs.

As he jumped the kunai just barely missed where his chest would have been.

Naruto quickly stopped his jump before he went too high, and out in the open above the canopy of the trees by grabbing a branch, and swinging around it, to launching him self to another tree.

Landing, he once again took off running, hoping to get a chance to rest, and to plan his own counter attack.

Over the last five years, Naruto had learned a great deal about tactics, and how to set up ambushes. He had also learned, much to the dismay of the village, how to fully use his Kitsune Illusion technique. He had even learned to set up small powerful versions of it, perfect for hiding traps. It took a lot of chakra, but he had plenty of it to spare, at least Anko and Ibiki thought he did.

All he needed was one chance, just a few seconds, at the most a minute to be able to bring up the illusion.

Anko and Ibiki knew this sadly enough, and hardly gave Naruto those chances. Right now Naruto could hear them following him, just out of his normal sight range, but well within enhanced sight, and enhanced hearing range.

_'Damn it, doesn't look like I have a choice, I'm going to have to try something. I'm not going to get anything done by running around. So what to do.. They know most of my tricks.. But I did spend last night coming up with something that might surprise them.'_

Naruto had been spending a lot of time in the academy just reading books, most of them on how to use and make your own explosive notes, smoke bombs, and exploding pouches. While reading these, he started to come up with his own ideas. Some involved paint bombs, which he loved using in his pranks. One of his favorite ones, that was adopted by the Hokage, was an exploding grenade, that sent out hundreds of small makibishi in all directions. If it caught someone by surprise, they would surely die, or be severely injured. The makibishi would fly out at high speeds, and imbed themselves into trees, rocks, or what ever happened to be in their path.

Naruto liked to call that one his Makibishi Frag grenade. It has stopped a number of Anbu, and other veteran Ninjas from chasing him around before. Not many wanted to be filled with small spiked objects.

Another of his recent inventions was a grenade, that would produce a bright flash, and also a sound that would cause people to loss all since of direction, and their equilibrium. When he started making it, Hikari had told him there used to be such things in the past, but no one knew how to make them any more.

So it took Naruto a number of tests, and injuries to finally finish it, which happened to be before his next test with Ibiki and Anko.

He had yet to test it out, and thought that Anko and Ibiki would make perfect targets for it.

Reaching into a pouch on his hip, he pulled out a small metal cylinder, with a metal bar going down the side, and only being held in place by a small piece of paper. The paper was set up to act just like the parchment that an explosive note would be made out of. He could channel chakra into it, and it would burn away, releasing the bar, and causing the grenade to go off. The bomb could slowly go off, which was done by using very little chakra, or quickly go off by channeling large amounts into it.

So Naruto decided to channel just enough chakra into it, to give it a three second delay, just enough for Ibiki and Anko to catch up to it.

After channeling, Naruto tossed it into the air, and channeled chakra into his legs again to speed away.

Anko and Ibiki caught up, and noticed the spinning grenade in mid-air, and stopped a second to late.

Right as they came up to it, the paper burned away in a flash, and a bright white flash, and a deafening BANG was heard. The effect was immediate, both were deafened, and blinded, and lost all ability to move around properly. All of which would vanish, with some lingering effects in a few minutes, just enough for what Naruto needed to do.

The next sound Naruto hear was Ibiki and Anko cursing, and falling to the floor of the forest.

_'Flash bang test is a success!'_

With that thought, Naruto stopped, and dropped down into some bushes, and vanished into his Kitsune Illusion.

"Damn that brat! What the hell did he come up with this time!. I can barely walk, let alone stand up. I am going to kill him for this. DAMN IT IBIKI! Why did you have to get him interested in fireworks and explosives!"

Anko was yelling as loud as she could, and holding her ears, waiting for the ringing to stop. She was mainly yelling, because she was sure Ibiki was having the same problems, and wanted him to hear every word she said.

Growling, Ibiki just held his head, and rocked back and forth on his knees waiting for everything to pass. He just hoped it would all pass. Once it did, Naruto was going to pay for this newest trick.

_'After I make him pay for this, running around the village till I am bored should be good enough, he can tell me what the hell this thing was. Then, he could let me give it to the Hokage, I'm damn sure the Anbu and Hunter Nin would love these things.'_

Ibiki was taking this better then Anko, he thought Naruto had a great hobby, even if he used most of it during his pranks. Each one though, had been very useful, and some had been taken into most Konoha Shinobi weapon arsenals. Naruto had even made a pretty penny on his own with his hobby.

After about five minutes, the effect finally wore off, and both slowly got back up to their feet.

"Damn, now the brat has probably bobby trapped the entire place, or is working on it, damn that Fox…. So what do we do now? No telling how many of those things he has, and I know he won't use one of his Frag Grenades today. Put we left him free to try and use everything else. Damn it, I'm starting to regret letting him get into explosives and traps."

"NARUTO! WHEN I FIND YOUR SCRAWNY ASS I AM GOING TO KICK IT FROM HERE TO THE HOKAGE'S OFFICER! DAMN YOU AND YOUR DIRTY TRICKS!", was all Anko had to say on the subject.

_'HAHAH, looks like they liked the Flash bang. I know they are going to get me back for that though. I wish I could hide here the whole time, but have to do something.'_

With that, Naruto pulled out a scroll, and wrote a quick message down on it before closing it back up, and moving from tree to tree, back in the direction of Ibiki and Anko. The whole time the leaves he pasted just moved like a soft breeze blowing through them.

Once he got to the area Ibiki and Anko were standing it, he tossed the scroll at Anko, and watched as she caught he, and glared at it. If she could find a way, the look she was giving the scroll would set it a blaze. She knew Naruto bragged about his tricks, and had a way of rubbing more salt in the wound with more tricks, often hidden in his scrolls now.

Anko glanced at Ibiki, and he had the same worried look on his face at the sight of the scroll.

During the solo training matches like this, Naruto would get a leg up, and often give them a scroll, to brag, and make things worse. So they were both a little worried about what he might have cooked up this time.

Grabbing a senbon, and attaching it to the end of the scroll, she threw it at a tree, and prepared to see what the scroll said, and did.

Once the scroll hit the tree, it unrolled, and had a message written on it from Naruto.

"_HAHAHAH, hope you guys like my newest toy, I call it the Flash bang, just perfected it last night. So you guys are my first test subjects, and boy was it a SUCCESS! But I have to admit, I thought you would thank me Anko-nee-chan, you're the one who taught me to be tricky. Not to mention, I am about as bad as a fox who is hunted!.."_

There was a small crude picture of Naruto with whiskers sticking out of his nose here, and giving the victory sign to them.

"_By now, I am already hiding, and getting reading for my next attack. Hopefully you guys will like it just as much as my last one. I just hope you are ready for some other things that I've done. But I guess that is enough talk from me, we only have about 1 hour and 40 some odd minutes left. So be careful, and watch where you step._

_Naruto._

_P.S._

_This scroll will now blow up!"_

"SHIT!" Yells two voices in unison as they read the last part, and started to jump away.

Again, they reacted too slow, as the scroll blew up, sending multiple things out of it.

The first thing that hit Ibiki and Anko was a bright pink paint. The paint stuck to everything in the area, and would be sure to make them stick out in the forest.

The next thing that hit them was some liquid. That wasn't the bad part. The bad part was how the stuff smelled, just like a skunk. Some how Naruto had managed to combine his paint bombs, and stink bombs into one scroll. Both of which would help him pick them out in the forest like a sore thumb.

"Oh, he is so dead when I find him. YOU HEAR ME NARUTO! D. E. A. D. DEAD! You better hope this shit washes out of my hair and clothes too. If not, you are going to buy me a new set! Damn, this paint isn't coming out of my hair!"

Anko was furious. Not only were her clothes and hair turned bright pink, as pink as a Haruno's hair, but her skin was stained pink as well.

_'Damn it! My skin too! Damn this kid has too much time for this. Where the hell does he come up with these ideas. I know he doesn't do these things at home, so he must be doing them at school. That might explain the poor grades.. But damn does Anko look funny with Haruno pink hair.'_

After that went through Ibiki's mind he let off a laugh, one that had Anko spinning around on her heel, and sending a kunai right at him.

Ibiki calming grabbed the kunai out of the air, and spun it around his finger.

"Calm down Anko. I know you are pissed. But don't take it out on me, instead, think of ways to bust his ass during training. For the flash bang I was thinking of making him run around the village till I was bored. But for this, and turning my favorite jacket pink, I think doing it for an entire week should be fine. How about you?"

Anko grinned, and nodded, liking the sound of that more and more.

"As for the smell, we both know how to get that off, just like you do a regular skunk smell, though we don't have time to do it just yet. With both of these things on us, and the time he has, I think we only have one thing to do…"

Anko frowned, knowing what Ibiki was going to recommend, and not liking it.

"Yeah.. I guess our little brother has finally grown up huh? Never thought I would see the day that he would be able to best both of us at the same time.. Damn it.. I hate this.."

Anko was saddened by the thought, she hated to admit it, but he was growing up, and becoming a great man, as well as on the way to being a great ninja. He would achieve his dream, all he had to do was keep doing what he was doing now.

After wiping a few tears from her face, and spreading the pink paint, she nodded to Ibiki.

"Alright Naruto, you win, come on out. The test is over."

Ibiki yelled it out, his voice not betraying a single emotion. Each word delivered calmly, even though he was yelling.

Ibiki and Anko both stood in the now bright pink clearing, waiting for their little brother to show up.

After about five minutes, Anko caught the sight of the air waving slightly in front of her. The spot continued to do this for several seconds before a now smiling Naruto appeared in front of her.

Naruto had a large grin plastered onto his face as he looked up at Anko and Ibiki.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up chuckles, you may have won this time, all due to your damn paint/stink bomb combo, but next time it won't be so easy. Now come here."

Anko grabbed Naruto and gave him a big hug, then put him in a very tight headlock.

"Now, why not tell me how you get this paint out of my hair, and off my clothes? If not, then don't plan on having any free time till this crap it out of my hair, skin, and clothes. You hear me?"

Naruto nods his head as best as he could from his current position.

"Oh yeah.. One other thing, you see, I don't think it is fair that I should be the only one with pink hair in our little family. So…"

Before Naruto knew what was happening, Anko had him upside down by his legs, and was using his hair to clean up what was left of the pink paint.

Naruto struggled and tried to fight his way out of his current position, but failed miserably. Ibiki was laughing as he looked at the sight of a pink haired Naruto.

"There you punk, now we're even."

Naruto grumbled and mouthed a few choice words in Anko's direction.

"Alright kids, let's get going, and get cleaned up. Naruto, you have class soon, so you might want to hurry up.. Don't let everyone know you like Sakura so much you just HAD to have the same hair color."

_'How how could he say something like that. I HATE THAT GIRL! She is so damn bossy to everyone. Ino isn't any better either.'_

Naruto had tried to be nice to her, and he though she would be the same way since they had meet in the playground that day five years ago. But it seemed her parents just didn't care too much for him, much like many others in the village.

Naruto stared at Ibiki, stunned. Anko and Ibiki both knew how much he hated Sakura, and they could see why. The girl was bossy, probably more so then Anko could be. He often heard Anko and Ibiki talking at night, wondering what girls he really liked. They both thought Ino and Sakura were the only ones possible, since they were so much like Anko, and they believe he would find someone similar to his Nee-chan to like.

The truth was, Naruto didn't like any girls right now. He had friends, who were girls, but nothing more then that. Besides, most of the girls at the Academy, along with mostly every one else, didn't like him too much.

He knew some of it had to be from the parents, and some of it was probably his own doing.

Naruto loved playing tricks, and doing all kinds of practical jokes. From putting glue in chairs, to paint bombs in desk drawers, and some lockers. Add the fact that when something went wrong, and he had nothing to do with it, he couldn't protest his innocence before everyone was yelling at him.

Most of the time, those in the class that knew he didn't do it, would still just laugh at him, and not try to help him.

That is not to say he didn't have some friends, who just liked to hang around with him to learn how to sneak out of class, and do other things.

One was Inuzuka Kiba, who laughed at Naruto more then he did anything else. He only came to Naruto when he wanted to help with some jokes, or wanted to sneak out of class. Naruto was more then willing to do this, even if he was cruel to him at times. All Naruto wanted was some friends his own age after all. So he would put up with anything, given the chance to have a friend for a few minutes.

Another was Akimichi Choji, who never really picked on Naruto, just enjoyed laughs along with him at times, and didn't have enough courage at times to stand up to people when they accused him of things. Choji wasn't a bad guy, just lacked some self confidence. Naruto figured this had a lot to do with the way people made fun of him because of his size.

Naruto found out that the Akimichi clan fought using special jutsus that utilized the size of their bodies. So they would eat large amounts of food regularly, since that is where they would get their energy, and it would help them during fighting.

Often times Naruto would stand up for Choji, and get into a few brawls to try to keep people from picking on him. Choji would let Naruto know that he didn't have to do such things, but Naruto always tell him later,_ "What are friends for? I can't let someone pick on someone I consider a friend, if I did, I would be trash, maybe worst then trash."_

Choji still couldn't believe that someone could be that nice to him, since the only person he knew that didn't care about his size was Shikamaru.

That brought Naruto to one of his other friends. Nara Shikamaru. He was normally a quiet boy, who seemed to be pretty smart. He was always complaining about how "troublesome" things were, and would often spend his time in class much like Naruto, daydreaming, or sleeping.

What brought them together was when Shikamaru saw Naruto in a fight with a bunch of older kids who had just insulted, and tried to fight with Choji. Naruto was outnumbered, about 7 v 1, and was still holding many back away from Choji, and taking enough beating to make most people give up. Naruto didn't though, and when Shikamaru saw this, he quickly went to help, using his family's special techniques.

After that fight all three went home with more then a few bruises, and a new found friendship between the three.

After awhile Choji, Shikamaru, and Naruto quickly became good friends, and would often spend time playing around after school, or just sitting and watching the clouds.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts as they came to the front of their house.

After living here for five years already, Naruto still could not get used to the place. It was far bigger then anything he had ever lived in. It was just a little bigger then the Academy, though not as many rooms.

The entire first floor at the front of the house was nothing but one huge Dojo, with rooms for both boys and girls to take showers after training. The dojo was covered all in tatami mats. The walls were lined with a wide range of weapons. From shuriken and kunai, to naginatas and katanas.

On both sides of the Dojo was a long hallway that lead to the back of the house. Along the hall was the separate guest rooms, eight in total, running the length of the first floor.

Each room had a queen-size bed, and their own private bathrooms, equipped with showers and bathtubs. From here the guests could go to a few separate locations. One was to the kitchen, which you could also get into from the dojo, the dining room, the outside dojo, or the Library.

The kitchen was almost half the size of the dojo, and had enough room in it for an entire kitchen staff, if there was enough people living there to deserve one. Across from the kitchen was the dining room, which right now only had a single long table in it, when it could hold at least three tables, and still have room for people to move around in.

The outdoor dojo, had a pond in the middle of it, about the size of a large tournament fighting ring, where people could practice water walking, as well as spar on top of it. Around it was an open area, boxed in by an open pathway, where people could watch the sparring sessions while still close to their bedrooms. This was just a little smaller then the indoor dojo.

The library was as large as the indoor dojo, and went up two stories high. It had staircases, so that people could get to the second story. It had scrolls lining the walls, and small aisles. Each scroll seemed to be a different jutsu, or ideas on weapons, and jutsus. There was also a small section devoted to the history of the continent, which Hikari enjoyed reading with Naruto.

Naruto had started his own section in the library, just for his notes and ideas about fire works, and other explosive ideas. Ranging from grenades, to special notes and scroll, a lot like the one he used on Ibiki and Anko.

What was unique about the library was not just all of it's contents, but the fact that it had a special seal on the door, that no one knew how to open except for the Sandaime at first. He quickly taught Naruto, Ibiki, and Anko how to use it, and he himself was known to come and visit it from time to time since he wouldn't be alone in the house any more.

Behind the library was a storage area, for extra furniture, weapons, food supplies, clothes, and supplies to fix the indoor and outdoor dojo after sparring matches got out of hand.

The second floor was designed much like the first, except that in place of the dojo at the front of the house, there was three master bedrooms, that went the entire length of the front of the house.

These rooms belonged to Anko, Naruto, and Ibiki. Each with their own king size beds, bathrooms, with walk in shower, bath, and a small hot tub, walk in closet, for clothes, as well as a side for weapons, and other tools.

Each room also had a small balcony that lead to the front of the house, and would allow them to easily go from one room to another. It was also large enough for during good clear weather for people to lay out on them, or as Naruto enjoyed doing, sleeping out on them at night in a hammock, and looking at the stars in the sky.

Above the first floor halls, on the second floor were the same as the ones from the first floor. They were furnished just like the other guest rooms, and offered an overhead view of the training field.

On the roof of the house was a massive garden, that ran the length and width of the house, with man made springs, and benches. The same was above the kitchen and dining room. The garden itself was raised up a few feet above the rest of the house, and had all kinds of flowers throughout it. There were roses, tulips, lilies, carnations, daisies, sunflowers, and many types of flowers that Naruto had never seen before.

When Naruto asked the Hokage about it, he was told that the Fourth, who used to live here, would cross-breed flowers, often making new types. Many of them were breath taking to look at, and many tended to be more fragrant then some of the perfumes some girls would wear at school.

Naruto also found in the library, a section devoted to flowers, the raising, growing, and care of them, as well as how to breed them. Which he looked through when he was not doing his own work, or training. Often he could be found laying in his hammock with scrolls for this laying around him at night, or during the day.

The grounds around the house was much like it was inside. Almost right against the house was another garden, that circled the entire place, except right in front. So every morning you could wake up to a new scent. This sometimes drove Naruto crazy with his enhanced smell, and more so when there was large amounts of pollen in the air.

But he could not bring himself to hate the gardens.

The forest started about 30 feet away from the house, giving people a good view of the surroundings, and allowing plenty of light in for the plants to grow.

"Hurry and get cleaned up Naruto, you have class in about 40 minutes. Also, why not leave me one of your Flash bangs here, so I can show it to the Hokage. I'm sure he is going to love it."

Anko had told Naruto on their way back from training that she had a meeting with him this morning, and it was mostly about a mission she might have coming up very soon. She had also asked Naruto if there was a way to avoid being effected by the flash and the sound created by the flash bang. Naruto had ended up telling her he would give her the scroll for how it was designed.

In exchange, she would have to buy him a list of things, some gun powder, and other chemicals for his other ideas. He also needed some supplies to help with his gardening work. So she agreed, as long as she could see what he was using the gunpowder for.

Naruto nodded, and ran to his room to get cleaned up.

Once out of the shower, he walked into his closet to change into some fresh clothes.

He had gotten used to his usual style of clothes, with Black BDU pants, and jacket, with a flame red/orange/yellow design, and the swirl on the back. Today though he wanted to do something different, to remember his victory over his sister and brother.

So he stood in the middle of the closet, which also happened to be in front of a large body mirror.

Naruto took a quick look at himself in the mirror.

He was a lot taller then he used to be, almost 5 feet tall, mostly due to his work outs, and his diet that Ibiki and Anko had him on. He was able to just about anything he wanted while at school, but when he got home there was a strict hold on what he was allowed to eat. They had informed him that eating certain things could cause him to stunt his growth, and be much shorter then some of the others in his class.

He weighed somewhere close to 125 pounds, again mostly due to his constant training, and the diet that he has been on since he started the academy. One of the few times he was allowed off of his diet was at school, or on special occasions, like his birthday, or other holidays.

He still had scars all across his body from five years ago. There was the one large one in the middle of his throat, and several smaller ones there are well. He had one large scar across his back, with several small ones there as well. On his chest, he had one that went from his right breast, to just below his left one. His arms had several small scars on them as well from that night five years ago.

Over the years he had gained other scars to add to his collection. Some were from Katon jutsus that had been used on him, others from kunai, shuriken, senbon, and just about any other pointed object that was within reach of the offenders.

Looking at himself, he was reminded how much many in the village hated him. It was hard on him at times, but with Hikari always with him, and Anko and Ibiki waiting for him on most nights, he could handle it most of the time. He also had a few friends in school that he talked to, but never about these things. This was one of the reasons he normally wore long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a high collar shirt or jacket. He didn't want anyone's pity, and he didn't want them to know how hard things were for him. He felt some of them had it hard enough already with out having to worry about him.

This is also why several thought he was born mute, with no one really knowing the true story except for some of the teachers. Some of which used it to take their anger out on him, either by making him responsible for anything that happened, or to hurt his grades with oral tests, which he could never answer the questions for.

One teacher that seemed to like Naruto, was his regular teacher, Umino Iruka. He would never give unfair tests like the ones others did, and he understood that Naruto would have a hard time with some things. But when Naruto messed up, or played jokes, he was the first to get on his case, almost like Anko and Ibiki.

Iruka was one of the few people, aside from his brother and sister, who could track him down when he didn't use his Kitsune Illusion technique.

Quickly shaking himself from his daydreams, Naruto grabbed a dark blue turtle neck shirt, with the kanji Gen, or illusion on the back of it, along with a small swirl on the right breast in the front. The kanji was in silver, while the swirl was in red and black.

He next grabbed a pair of his BDU pants, with pockets on the thighs, and some down by the calves. Along with a regular black belt, with a swirl at the front for the buckle.

Instead of a jacket today, he grabbed a silver colored vest, that was nothing more then clothe wrapped around chain mesh for some protection. The vest had small pockets on the front, and little slots inside from kunai or shuriken.

He quickly grabbed a pair of his black sandals, and tied his pants tight, and grabbed his scrolls he used for brain storming during class. Next he grabbed the scroll from the closet that detailed his flash bang, and explained how to avoid the side effects, which was to close your eyes, and plug your ears with your fingers, if you wanted to be close by when it went off.

Looking at himself in the mirror again, just to make sure all of his scars were covered, he gave a nod of approval, he was also glad he knew how to get the pink paint out of his hair, and left to give Anko the scroll, and head to the academy.

As he ran by her, he tossed the scroll and continued on his way to the academy.

Before he went to far, Anko called out.

"I'm not sure if I will be back tonight or not, it depends on the mission the Hokage has for me. If I'm not back, you know what to do. Ibiki won't be here, so behave yourself. If I don't have to leave right away we might be able to grab dinner or lunch before I have to go."

Naruto nodded, and waved as he continued through the forest.

Naruto went through the city, and stayed to the roof tops, not wanting to get into any arguments with the villagers, and the numerous kids who always wanted to pick fights with him. Normally when he does this he gets to the academy just before class starts, today though, his timing was just a little off.

As Naruto walked into the room, he noticed Iruka standing at the front, and taking role.

"Nice of you to join us Naruto, go ahead and take your seat, we will handle your punishment for being late during the break."

Naruto nodded, and went to his favorite spot in the back right of the room, where no one else would sit but him, Shikamaru, Choji, and the ever shy Hyuga Hinata.

As he was heading to his seat he could hear the remarks of several people.

Ino and Sakura was laughing about him being late again, and how he must be stupid to wear so many clothes when it was hot outside. Kiba was too busy talking to Akamaru, his pet dog, about something. He notice Shino was talking to one of his bugs, what they could be talking about for so long, Naruto had no idea.

He once again heard Ino and Sakura squealing about the person that all girls seemed to like, Uchiha Sasuke. The person in question was sitting in the middle row, against the wall on the right side of the room, showing no emotion as usual, except to give Naruto an arrogant smirk when he noticed Naruto looking at him.

If there was anything Naruto hated more then fan girls, it was arrogant asses like Sasuke. They always thought they were better then everyone else, and no one was worthy of talking to them. It pissed him off so much, that he had tried several times to clean that smirk off his face.

Every time he did, the girls, except for Hinata for some reason, would always jump on him, and ask him why he was being so mean to their "Sasuke-kun". For Kami's sake, it drove him crazy how much people thought he was perfect. Some willing to give him anything he wanted, all because he was the last of his family in the village.

Most of them didn't know or care that Naruto was the same way, AND, he was mistreated by just about everyone in the village. So Sasuke was always an annoyance to Naruto.

Naruto remember that day a few years ago, the village was filled with the smell of blood coming from the Uchiha Compound. He could also hear the cries of a terrified Sasuke. When Naruto had first heard about what happened, he tried to befriend the boy. But Sasuke didn't want anything to do with him, and still didn't to this day.

As Naruto walked up to his seat he waved to Hinata, Choji, and Shikamaru, who were all seated in the above mentioned way. Naruto took his seat next to Shikamaru, and waited for his named to be called, and to begin his brainstorming.

Finally, Naruto heard, "Uzumaki Naruto?"

He raised his hand and waved it around, just to be sure Iruka saw it, even though he saw Naruto come into the room.

"Good, everyone is here today. So let's begin today's lesson, which will be history, in which we will be discussing the events of ten years ago, how the Yondaime defeated the Kyubi…."

_'Great.. I get to hear how my Nee-chan was defeated, and "killed", when she is actually inside of me, and the whole story is not even known by everyone in the room. Good thing I don't plan to listen to this garbage'._

Naruto looked around him, and noticed that everyone was paying attention, except for a few people.

Ino and Sakura was again giggling about Sasuke, while Shino talked with his bugs. Hinata had quickly turned her head away, and had a faint blush on her cheeks when Naruto looked over at her.

'_She acts so strange when I look at her.' _

Hikari could only shake her head, and made a mental note to talk to him more about girls and boys when he got old enough to understand those things.

He noticed Choji was already started on his 3rd bag of chips, and Shikamaru had his head down, trying to catch some more sleep.

Naruto reached into his pocket, and pulled out his scroll, and started to brainstorm more ideas..

_'I wonder, on my frag grenade, if I changed it from makibishi, to kunai or shuriken, would it be any better. Wait, I could try it with Senbon, shuriken, or kunai, but it will be pretty big. So what about changing the shape of the object, maybe like a...'_

"NARUTO! Don't tell me your sleeping again!"

_'Crap'_

That was all he thought when he heard Iruka's voice coming towards him, handing out papers.

He quickly shook his head no as Iruka came to his row, and passed some papers down.

"Good, because I wouldn't ant you to miss this test we are about to take. Hopefully you will do better on it then your last one."

Naruto groaned as he heard laughs coming form the rows of desks below him. Naruto could hear Shikamaru shaking his head, and he saw a sad look come across Hinata's face.

Shikamaru passed his test to Naruto, and everyone started.

_'God these tests are so easy.. I just don't feel like doing well on them because of how everyone acts. If I did do good, they would say I cheated.'_

"_**Don't worry about it Otouto, I know you don't cheat, and I'm sure Anko-chan and Ibiki-san would never think that. But just do what you want, we all know the real you. It would even seem that your friends know the real you too."**_

Naruto nodded, and just answered enough of the questions to pass. The rest he just drew a little comic strip on. Majority of the comic was him and Sasuke fighting, with Naruto winning at the end.

"Alright, Mizuki-sensei will come and pick the tests up, after he has taken them up, you can all go outside for a 30 minute break. Naruto, you stay here, so that we can take care of your tardiness."

It didn't take long for the tests to be picked up, and for everyone but Naruto and Iruka to leave the room. Naruto walked down to the front of the room and Iruka's desk.

"Naruto, why were you late, again today? I know Anko and Ibiki would give you enough time to get here."

Naruto sighed, and walked to the chalk board to write out his excuse.

"_We had one of our early morning sparring matches. This time though it was both of them after me. So about an hour into the session, with me running around, waiting for an opening, I used something new that I made. _

_"After that I hid, and gave them a new scroll I had worked on too. It contained a paint and stink explosive note. The smell would come off as easy as a skunk, put the paint was bright pink, like Sakura's hair, very annoying and hard to miss. Once I did that, there was nothing they could do to hide. I would smell them, or see them easily._

_"So they gave up, and told me I won. Then we walked back home, and I forgot all about school. When we got home, I had to tell Ibiki-aniki, and Anko-nee-chan how to get the paint out of their hair and clothes before I was allowed to shower._

_"So I did, and was reminded abut school. I showered, and changed quickly, and gave my notes on how to make my newest invention to Anko-chan, since she had a meeting with the Hokage today. After that I hurried, but still managed to just be a little late, s__orry Iruka-sensei."_

Iruka nodded, and could understand the situation. Naruto lived in the farthest place away from the academy, almost the complete opposite of where the academy was. For him to get here at the times he did, he had to be moving pretty fast. But it was expected he might be late sometimes, but it still did not mean Iruka could let him slide.

"I understand Naruto, but late is late. I can't let you off, not since this isn't the first time it has happened. So I think a fitting punishment would be to air out the erasers, I mean it is not like you could fly or anything, so you might be a little late like this from time to time. Just try not to make it too big of a habit okay?"

Naruto nodded his head, and let Iruka know he would do it after school. By this time the break was over, and everyone was returning to the room.

* * *

**Hokage's office**

"Sorry about being late Hokage-sama, me and Ibiki had a morning test with Naruto."

"No need to worry Anko, and please don't say sama, it makes me feel older each time someone says it. I suppose though, Naruto wasn't to pleased with his test this morning?"

Here Anko let out a small growl as she remembering the flash bang, and the paint/stink explosive notes.

"Oh, I think he enjoyed it a little too much. He got to test out some new ideas on me and Ibiki. One of them I think the ANBU and Hunter Nin would love. The other, well let's just not talk about it."

She paused for a second, and gave the Hokage her best glare as he chuckled at her statement.

"He made something he calls a Flash Bang. It creates a bright flash, and a loud sound. Both of them work together to blind and deafen as well as disorientate a person for a short time. The damn thing is very effective, and could be useful when doing raids.

"He gave me the scroll for it, and I have to say, the brat is getting better at this. But here is the scroll, and here is one of his Flash Bangs. But I think it is only fair if I do this first."

With that, Anko channeled a large amount of chakra into the parchment holding the pin in place, and threw it into the air. The Hokage stared at the device, while Anko hit the floor, and closed her eyes, and plugged her ears.

In the next second, and loud BANG was heard, and a bright white flash could be seen outside of the Hokage's window.

Five second after that had ANBU running into the room, to only see a laughing Anko, and the Hokage mumbling something about ringing, and a bright light.

Anko stopped her laughing long enough to tell the Anbu what happened.

"It's alright boys, Naruto came up with another little toy for you, and I was showing the Hokage how it worked." here she looked over at the Hokage, who was rolling around on the floor, and gave him a small cruel smile.

"As you can see, it is very effective, the results only last a few moments, but if you are looking right at it, it might last longer."

By now the Hokage was standing up, and holding onto his desk for support. He looked at Anko and mumbled about kids with too much time on their hands.

"Yes, I have to remember to tell all stores to not sell him any more gunpowder.. This one would be perfect for ANBU members, and for doing raids on bandit camps. It would be useful for the Hunter Nins as well, since it could help them detain or surprise Nukenins easier. Next time though Anko, give me a warning before you pull a stunt like this. You are dismissed"

The last line was directed towards the ANBU gathered in the room.

"Now Anko, how about that mission you are here for. It is going to be an A-class spy mission, one that you could use Naruto on to help your cover. You will be going to Water country, and look for information on the Nukenin, Momochi Zabuza, and his group.

"The reason for this is that we are trying to create a stronger alliance with the Mist village, and they would like help in tracking down Zabuza. Should you find him you are not to confront him unless there is no other choice. It is unknown how strong his group is now, so be careful." finished Sarutobi.

"Hokage, are you sure I should bring Naruto along for this? It sounds like it could get a little dicey, and I don't want him to get hurt." asked a worried Anko.

"I understand, but you will probably be going into the village as a sister and brother traveling. You may have to change your hair color though, as you are in some Bingo books. Having Naruto along would only make the disguise that much better. I know how hesitant you are about placing him in danger, but this time I think it is truly needed. Should things go wrong, he can hide, and run to get help from the nearby Mist village. He is capable of taking care of himself by now I'm sure. It may make the difference between success or failure for this mission.

"As for the village they are suspected of being in, it is a small village, that is known for gambling in Water country. It is also known for the Yakuza of Water country. This is thought to be the center of their power, and could very well be why Zabuza would be thought to be there. If he could get their help, he might be able to over throw the Mizukage. So I can not stress how important this mission will be."

Anko couldn't agree more. Everyone knew who Momochi Zabuza was, and what he was famous for. He was the Demon of the Hidden Mist, known for killing an entire graduating class of hopeful Mist Nins when he was only a child. From there he grew and became one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the Mist Village.

He was also known for trying to lead a coup against the Mizukage some years ago. Since then he has been on the run from Mist Hunter-Nins. Little else is known about what he has been doing since then. He often pops up trying to recruit others to help in his coup, but he always gets run out of the villages and cities by Hunter Nin coming after him.

"I understand sir, and I think I will take your advice on Naruto. Who knows, he might get a chance to use some of his new weapons.. Though I hope there is a very slim chance he will be needed to fight."

"I know Anko, and I would never ask this of you if I didn't think the both of you could handle it. Many of the others I would send on this mission would be easier to spot, so I am left with very few people to depend upon. I trust you, and I know Naruto will not let us down. You need to leave as soon as possible, since Water country is across the sea. So please, take this note, and it will allow Naruto to be excused from the Academy for the next few weeks, until the mission is completed."

"Thank you, and hopefully it won't be that long."

With that Anko took the note, and headed towards the Academy. She knew they would be getting out for lunch soon, and that was when she planned on talking with Iruka, and taking Naruto home to get packed.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the classroom**

Naruto was not in a good mood right now. He had just planned on talking with the few friends he had during this break, when some upperclassmen decided to come in and mess with him. The first thing they did was shove Hinata out of the way, and made her fall and hit her head against the wall.

They then shoved Choji out of the way next, telling him to, "Move his fat ass", which was a taboo phrase around Choji.

The final thing they did was shove Naruto against the desk, causing him to scribble across his scroll. To make things worst, they decided to insult him.

"Ah, what's wrong, baby have a problem? Not going to speak up for what we did to your buddies? Some friends they are. One is a shy girl who would die on her first mission, the other would be lucky to out run a snail. Then we have a mute, who doesn't even deserve to be a Ninja, let alone be in this academy."

Another kid spoke up next.

"Yeah, I mean what were your parents thinking when they put you in here? OH yeah, that's right, you have no parents. They probably dumped you off on those two Jonins you are always hanging around. I'm sure they don't want anything to do with you, and just took pity on you."

Naruto had had enough by this time.

He rolled up his scroll, and put it in one of his pockets before turning to the 3 upper classmen behind him.

He looked over to Choji, who looked sad, and pissed. He was shaking, and Naruto knew it was from him trying to hold back his anger, and keep from crying at the way they were acting.

He next looked at Hinata, who had tears forming in her pale white eyes. She was holding the back of her head where she had hit the wall, and didn't look to be all that well. From sadness at the way they were talking about her, Choji, or Naruto he didn't know. She always seemed to care about how others were treated.

What he did know was that he could stand people insulting him, but when they made his friends cry, or insulted his friends, he couldn't take it. So waving his hands he got Choji's and Hinata's attention. He motioned for them to move, and try to get a teacher.

Choji nodded, and went to help up Hinata. Hinata wasn't to sure about what Naruto wanted them to do though. The people doing all this were two years older then them, and ready to take the Genin Exam. She didn't want to leave Naruto there alone, but she also thought she would only get in his way.

So she followed Choji as he helped her up, and they left to get a teacher.

"Haha, your friends have even left you. I guess they see how worthless you really are. So maybe we will do them a favor, and just beat the crap out of you, that way they wouldn't have to see you for a few weeks."

_'Nee-chan, I have to do this.. I hope you don't get mad at me.'_

"_**I would be disappointed in you if you didn't Naruto-kun. I don't think Anko and Ibiki would be angry with you either. Just be careful, and don't go overboard."**_

Naruto nodded his head before he slipped into a defensive stance. Once in the stance, he raised his left hand in front of him, and flipped all three of the boys off.

"So you want to fight with us? You are going to wish you ran you mute bastard!"

When the boy shouted this, everything seemed to stop. People stopped talking, and playing games. All heads turned to where the fight was about to break out.

The first boy, who had black hair charged at Naruto, fist raised, ready to hit him with everything he had. When the boy swung his fist at Naruto, he side stepped the punch, and grabbed the boy's wrist. The boy was stunned, and didn't know what had happened as Naruto used the boys own momentum to flip him over onto his back.

From there, Naruto place his right foot on the boys chest, and pulled his arm as hard as he could and quickly dislocated the shoulder, causing the boy to scream out in pain.

By this time, the other two had begun to move towards Naruto. One with dark brown hair, the other with red hair.

The brown haired boy jump into the air and spun, intent on sending a kick to Naruto's head. The other boy went low, hoping to take his legs out.

Right as the first boy's kick was about to connect, Naruto grabbed the boy by the ankle, and turned his body out of the way. As he did, he continued the boy's spin, and his own, throwing the boy face first into the wall behind him, and causing him to crumple down to the ground.

By this time the second Boy's sweep had connected, and knocked Naruto down to the ground. The boy tried to follow up by dropping his heel down into Naruto's stomach, but missed when Naruto rolled out of the way, and towards the right side of the room, and right against the wall.

Naruto stopped his roll, and kicked up off of the ground to face the red haired boy.

"Damn you, you got lucky by taking them out. I'm not going to go easy on you. I was one of the best at Taijutsu in our class, so I hope you are ready to get your ass kicked."

The boy followed his remark with a straight Punch to Naruto's head. Naruto went to duck, only to see the punch as a feint, as the boy brought his knee up and hit Naruto in the face. From there he brought his elbow down, and into the back of Naruto's head.

Naruto was stunned by the force of both hits, and was trying to regain his thoughts and think of something to do.

Before he could do anything, the boy once again grabbed Naruto's head, and went to ram it into his fast rising knee.

Naruto had had enough. He grabbed the boys arms, and channeled chakra into his feet, and jumped.

His jump quickly took him above the knee, and over the boy's head. The entire time, Naruto had the boy's arms firmly in his hands, and brought them over with him. Once over the boy's head, and both feet planted, and locked the arms up, and put the boy into a sleeper hold.

"Damn you, let me go!".

The boy kept hollering, and struggling, until he slowly started to black out, and his body went limp. Naruto placed him down on the floor, and was about to turn around. That was when a chair hit him in the back, and sent him towards the window he was in front of.

Before Naruto could stop himself, he was already going through the window of their third story classroom. The only thing he heard aside from the gasp of some of the students in the room, and the glass shattering was four voices.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

"Naruto!"

He knew who they were, Hinata, Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru, and Choji. Had just come rushing into the room in time to see the brown haired boy swing a chair and hit Naruto out of the window.

* * *

**Outside**

Anko was sitting under a tree peeling an apple, and enjoying watching the little kids play around in the playground. That was until she heard the sound of glass breaking, and heard a voice holler, "NARUTO-KUN!".

She dropped the apple, and kunai she was using, and looked to where the noise came from. She saw a boy coming out of the window, with bright blonde hair, and a silver vest over a dark blue shirt.

_'NARUTO!'_

Anko ran over to where he was falling, with glass all around him, hoping that she could make it there before he hit the ground.

Everything seemed to slow down as she tried to run as fast as her body could go. She slowly saw the surprised look run across his face as he came out of the window, and towards the ground below.

She next saw the look turn from surprised, to pissed. In the blink of an eye. She looked at his bright blue eyes, saw how angry he was. She saw his pupils go from rounded, to slits.

The next thing she saw surprised her the most.

Naruto quickly tucked his body, and spun it around so that he had righted himself in the air, and continued his fall. She could see him brace for the impact, and channeling chakra into his legs to lessen it.

Once Naruto hit the ground, he could feel the pain flow into his legs. That was the last thing on his mind.

_'Fucking bastards! Cheap shot with the chair, I'm going to tear him a new asshole for that!'_

With those thoughts he channeled chakra once more into his legs, and with all the force he could muster, he jumped. He jumped back up towards the window, and that damn boy who used a chair on him.

Anko looked on in shock as she saw him land, and leap back towards the window he had just fallen out of.

All of this happened in under ten seconds, and everyone was left looking at shattered glass across the ground outside of the school. Very few registering what had just happened.

* * *

**Back in the Classroom.**

Everyone was stunned at seeing Naruto knocked out of the window by the chair. No one could say anything, and the only sound was a sobbing Hinata, and the sound of some glass hitting the floor.

The boy with what was left of the chair, turned around to see Iruka, Choji, Shikamaru, and Hinata. Shikamaru was starting to go through some hand seals, and Choji was making a fist. Hinata was sobbing softly, and Iruka was stunned at what he had just seen.

What they all saw next surprised them even more. Naruto came flying back through the window, and gave the brown haired boy a kick to the right side of his head, with all the force he could put into it.

The result was the boy being sent down the stair like desks, crashing into, and through several desks, until he finally stopped at the bottom level below the chalk board.

Naruto stood where he was, and slowly lower his leg down to the ground, taking deep breathes to calm himself.

Iruka was the first to recover, and walked over to Naruto.

"Naruto.. Are you okay? Are you hurt any where, cut or anything?"

Everyone in the room just stood there looking at the scene before them. Hinata was calming down, but still had tears in her eyes. Choji was looking back and forth from Naruto, to the path of destruction his kick had done. Shikamaru was doing the same, with his hands frozen in the seals he had been in the process of doing.

Naruto nodded his head to Iruka, and turned around so he could look him over.

"Are you sure you are okay Naruto, you did just get knocked out of a window, and hit by a chair…"

_'Gah, he sounds like he is in shock, when I should probably be the one.'_

"_**How often do you see someone bounce back in from a window they just fell out of, and send a person flying through the room?"**_

_'I guess your right.. But still, I wish they would quit staring at me, not like they shouldn't be able to do the same thing if they want to be Ninjas.'_

Naruto spun around when he heard glass crunching, and saw Anko standing on the window sill looking at him.

"Naruto! Are you okay? Who did that! What the hell happened! Iruka!", came rushing out of her mouth the second she stepped into the room.

Naruto ran over to her, waving his hands, and trying everything he could to get her to calm down. Finally taking a few deep breathes, Anko calmed down, and looked around the room. She noticed two boys down on the floor, one holding his right shoulder, screaming about the pain. The other looked like he was asleep down on the floor.

All of the class was looking up towards her and Naruto. Some were looking down at the chalk board, where another boy was laying, obviously knocked out, and drooling on the floor. Anko followed the path the boy took to get to his current position, and saw it lead back up to where Naruto had been standing before.

She saw Iruka checking on the boys on the ground right by them, and Naruto's friends looking at Naruto. She noticed the girls had been crying, and was getting herself back under control. The boys still looked a little surprised, but not as much as the rest of the class.

"Naruto what happened?"

"Ano.. Anko-sama.. Naruto and us were just sitting here when these three upper classman came into the room. At the time Mizuki-sensei, and Iruka-sensei were out of the room. They came in and threw Hinata against the wall from her chair, and pushed me out of the way as they went towards Naruto…

Choji was speaking up to tell the story, or what he knew of it to Anko.

"When they got to Naruto they shoved him against the desk, and made him mess up some of what he was writing. They started saying some cruel things to him, about me and Hinata and Naruto. They were making fun of us, and then they said something about his parents.."

Anko raised her hand to stop him there and nodded. She had heard about how short tempered Naruto could be at times, more so when it came to that subject. People always said Ibiki and herself were just taking pity on him, and looking after him. She didn't know what was said about the Hyuga heir, or the Akimichi, but she knew how Naruto could react to people making fun of his friends, or saying others pitied him.

"Thanks Choji, I don't need to hear anything else, unless someone could tell me how the fight went?"

"Ano… w-we l-left to get help for N-Naruto-kun, when w-we got back we had s-seen him get h-hit with the c-chair and fall o-out the win-window."

Hinata had barely finished before tears started to form in her eyes again remembering what had happened.

"Yeah. I'm sorry Anko-san, I didn't get here sooner, but I had to handle Kiba, who was caught trying to peek into the girl's restroom. I tried to get back as soon as I heard about what was going on. By that time it was too late.. I was about to grab the boy when Naruto came back into the room, and sent him to the front of the class with one hell of a kick."

Anko nodded, and noticed Naruto over at a desk with some paper. She walked over just as he was turning around, and handed the paper to her. Taking it, she looked it over, and read it once.

After she had read it once, her eyes narrowed, and she read it again, just to be sure she read it right. After reading it a second time, she let out a low hiss.

"Iruka, you better get those boys out of my sight, and probably to the nurse to get checked out, NOW!"

Her voice was slowly rising as she talked till it was finished with a final shout that made everyone jump.

"Shino, Sasuke, come up here and help gets these boys to the Nurse's office. Kiba, you help.."

He looked down at the boy by the chalk board as he was about to finish to see Naruto was picking the boy up, and heading out the door with him.

"Why do we have to clean up the Dobe's mess? He should clean this up himself.", came from Sasuke as he walked over to the unconscious boy.

As he was about to pick the boy up, he was caught off guard as he was jerked up by the collar of his shirt, and brought face to face with a very angry Anko.

"Listen up you Uchiha bastard, if I ever hear you talking about Naruto like that again, you will regret it. Do you understand?"

Sasuke just hmphed, liked he didn't have a care in the world.

"Anko-san, please let him go, I will deal with him myself later. They need to get the boys to the Nurse so she can take a look at them."

By that time Shino had the boy with the dislocated shoulder up, and walking out towards the door with him. Anko dropped Sasuke, and walked over to Iruka.

"Fine, but I stand by my word. Now if you don't mind, I need to get Naruto, and leave."

As she said this last part she handed the scroll from the Hokage to Iruka, and walked out of the room towards the Nurse's office.

"God, no wonder Naruto misbehaves so much, living with someone that acts like that, and wears pretty much nothing but a jacket, like some brothel worker, it's no wonder he is bad at everything." by now some of the students were talking about what happened, and the aftermath. Right now Ino and Sakura were busy talking.

"Yeah, I mean how could she be that way to Sasuke-kun? It's not like he did anything wrong.. If she should be made at anyone it's Naruto. He probably did something to piss those boys off in the first place. I still don't know how he managed to beat those three boys up though. They must not be as good as they thought if a loser like Naruto could do that to them."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you fore-head girl, if that is all the current graduating class has, then I feel sorry for them."

Hinata was becoming angry where she was standing, and so was Shikamaru, and Choji.

"Hey Ino, you didn't hear the things they said to us.. They said Hinata would probably die on her first mission, and they called me.. The "f" word.. Then they wanted to make fun of Naruto because he couldn't talk.. The same way you two do at times Sakura. They were doing what you two do most of the time, making fun of him for stupid reasons. The only difference is that they hurt both Hinata and me. You two didn't see Naruto tell us to leave so that we could get some help, and not for Naruto, for those boys. You guys don't know anything about him like we do. So SHUT UP! I don't care if our families are close friends Ino, but don't you EVER MAKE FUN OF NARUTO AGAIN!"

Bellowed Choji, Hinata and Shikamaru nodding in agreement.

Ino was surprised to see Choji acting this way. She could hear the emotion his voice carried, the sadness, anger, and hate. She had never heard him talk like this before.

"Alright class, that's enough. I don't want to hear anything else about this. Go ahead and take your lunch break, and meet up outside at the targets. The rest of class today is going to be done outside. If anyone sees Shino and Sasuke, be sure to tell them."

Everyone slowly left the room, except for three people, Choji, Hinata, and Shikamaru. They walked up to Iruka, hoping to find out what Anko wanted with Naruto.

"Iruka-sensei, why was Naruto leaving school early today? It's not like this was his fault or anything."

"I know Shikamaru, but Anko has something important she needs to do. I think she was letting Naruto know, and probably taking him home so he could calm down some. I don't know what was said, but it obviously made both of them very angry."

"Iruka-sensei.. Anko-san left these.."

Choji walked up to Iruka, and handed him the papers that Naruto had given to Anko, and that Anko had crumbled up and dropped as she left to get Naruto.

"Thanks Choji, now why don't you three hurry on to eat your lunches. I will take care of everything here. I'm sure Naruto would want you to do that, and not worry about him. I promise he is in no trouble for what happened though. Those three will probably get a rather stiff punishment for their actions. One might even get kicked out of the academy, depending on what the disciplinary board decides."

Bowing, Hinata, Shikamaru and Choji all left to enjoy their lunch period.

After they had left, Iruka read over the papers, which seemed to give a very detailed explanation on what happened, and what Naruto thought. It also seemed to show that Naruto was showing some restraint in his actions, except for that final kick at the end.

"I guess I should hold onto these. I hope the board will understand this, and not decide on some crazy idea that Naruto was the cause of this some how.."

With that Iruka pocketed the papers, and started on his own lunch while grading tests.

* * *

**At Naruto's home**

"Well that is the mission the Hokage has given us Naruto. I'm not going to force you to go along, if you don't want to, you don't have to, it is completely up to you."

Naruto looked at her like she was crazy for a second there.

_'Of course I want to do this mission. It is better then staying here and putting up with those idiots. At least this time I can see a place I've never been to before!'_

Naruto nodded his head to Anko, letting her know he DID want to do this mission with her.

"Alright then, pack up your things, and get some clothes that don't show we are form the Leaf. Remember, it is a spy mission, so we can't let anyone know where we are from. Pack up some of your flash bangs, and other things, we might need them if things get rough. Then come to my room with some of that special paint of yours. I'm going to have to change my hair color. What do you think, how would I look with blonde hair?".

Naruto laughed at the thought, and nodded to her. After all they were going to be posing as brother and sister. After that he ran to his room to pack up his clothes, and other things he would need.

In place of his regular clothes, he put in regular pants that a farmer or someone living in the forest would wear. His shirts were all white, and had nothing special about them. He also grabbed a some regular sandals to wear while they were on their trip. All of his packing took him very little time.

After he was done, he grabbed some of his special paint that would turn a person's hair blonde, for an indefinite amount of time. The only way to change it back was with a solvent that he also kept with him just incase. Out of all of the grenades, and other explosives, he packed:

5 Makibishi Frag grenades

6 Paint grenades, all in different colors.

6 Paint/stink bombs.

6 Flash bangs.

10 Explosive notes

3 Explosive pouches

He also brought along his things to try out other designs he was working on, including the modified Frag grenades, and something new he thought up in class when he heard about the jutsus Kumo-Nins used.

After quickly changing Anko's hair, and packing some food supplies, and leaving a note for Ibiki, the two left heading towards their destination in Water Country.

* * *

**3 weeks later**

They had been traveling for 3 weeks, and were already wishing the mission was over, Naruto more then Anko.

Currently they were on a ship heading towards Water Country, and Naruto had found out he got Seasick easily. Right now he had his head over the starboard side of the ship, puking what ever was inside of his stomach at the time.

_'Oh.. I hate this. I wish we didn't have to cross by boat.. Why couldn't these people live someone closer to the mainland. Kami this sucks.'_

Hikari was listening, and watching with a smirk on her face.

"_**How could the future Hokage, and the greatest Ninja of the Leaf be seasick so much? Going to be hard becoming the Hokage if you can't handle a little boat ride."**_

_'Shut up! Not like I can help it. The longest boat ride I've ever been on was just to get to Wave country, and that was a short one compared to the week to two week one we are on now. KAMI! Why do these waves have to be so big.'_

Here he quickly hung his head overboard again, and emptied his stomach once again.

Anko was watching all of this and taking a few photos for their ever growing photo album. She hated seeing him like this, but there was little she could do.

"Naruto, why don't you come back inside, you wouldn't want to fall overboard would you?"

Naruto shook his head, and started to head back in.

_"Sorry Misaki-chan, I'm just a little seasick. Maybe if I tried to lay down and get some sleep I will be ok."_

Due to being in some Bingo books, Anko had adopted a new name for this mission, as well as a style of dress.

She had on regular sandals, just like Naruto, and for pants she had on a pair of baggy tan pants, that went all the way down to her ankles. Her shirt or dress in this case, was almost the same style of dress that Sakura wore, except is was a darker shade of red. She had her hair up in the usual way she did. She also had on a jacket, which she kept several weapons hidden in the sleeves, just incase.

She nodded, and lead Naruto back to their cabin, and hoped he would be alright for the rest of the trip.

* * *

**Back at the Academy**

"Man, I wonder where Naruto is, he's been gone for almost three weeks now. I hope everything is alright." said Choji as they were sitting down at their regular place for lunch. Since they meet, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto would all have lunch together underneath a large pine tree at the back of the schoolyard, close to the forest.

A lot of the time it would be Choji doing most of the talking, with nods from everyone else. The rest of the time Shikamaru would be busy looking up at the clouds from his spot on the ground. Hinata would be sneaking glances at Naruto, who would be hanging upside down from a branch above with his legs wrapped around it.

"Man, Naruto sure is being troublesome. I hope this isn't all because of what happened three weeks ago. Iruka-sensei said he wasn't in any trouble, but when we ask him about Naruto, he always sends us off to do things."

"I know, but what else can we do? I haven't seen his sister any more since that day either. I've seen his brother, Ibiki, but he scares me to death. Maybe we could go by his house or something, and see if he is there."

"Sounds like a good idea Choji, except I have no idea where he leaves, how about you?"

"Dang, I never bothered to ask him really. I know he always comes in smelling likes the forest, but that doesn't help much. Any ideas on how we could find out?"

"Iruka-sensei might know, but he seems to be careful on what he says about Naruto's life. I wonder what could be so special about where he lives."

"Ano.. I think I know where he lives…"

Often when Naruto wasn't around, Choji and Shikamaru noticed Hinata wouldn't stutter as much, at least not in short sentences.

"Cool, how did you find out Hinata? What did you do follow him home one day?"

Hinata blushed when Choji said this, and brought her head down, and her hands up and started poking her index fingers together.

"Haha, you really did Hinata, seriously? Wow, I'm surprised, who would have thought you could do something like that. I mean I could see Ino and Sakura doing it to Sasuke, but I'd never expect you to do that with Naruto."

Hinata's cheeks were getting brighter and brighter with the passing seconds as Choji continued.

"Ah enough Choji, your being as bothersome as Naruto is at times. Since you know where he is Hinata, how about leading us there tomorrow after we are done for the day? We shouldn't do it today, since we won't know how long we will be gone. Going tomorrow will give us a chance to tell our parents about it tonight. How does that sound?"

Choji and Hinata both nodded in agreement, and went back to their lunches.

* * *

**1 Week later**

Naruto and Anko had been in the village for almost half a week now, and had heard very little about where Zabuza was, and what he was planning. They had heard about, and seen numerous Missing Mist-Nins walking around in the forest, and through the fog surrounding the small village.

Right now Naruto was in their room at an inn called the Gambler's Corner, for the small casino down stairs. It also had a large bar area where they could get their meals, which is where they gathered most of the information so far.

Anko would go down, and listen at the bar, and in the casino. She knew liquor had a way of letting tight tongues slip, and it was only a matter of time before they found something.

While she did this, Naruto would wonder around the village, almost as if he was sight seeing. He would also walk through the forest, and sometimes caught sounds of swords clashing somewhere in the trees and mist. He wouldn't try to check it out, because that would raise questions to why a kid was out that far by themselves.

Tonight though, they had something they were checking to see if it was true. Anko had heard that Zabuza was coming to the village, and meeting with one of the heads of the local Yakuza. They were going to be meeting at a small warehouse at the northern edge of the village.

Anko planned on checking it out, but didn't think Naruto should come along. She felt that Naruto wasn't ready for this, and she didn't want to risk anything with this news. So here he was, sitting in the room, and going over his ideas. Every now and then he would look out the window facing the street, hoping to see Anko coming back to the Inn.

He had a bad feeling, one that had been with him since they heard Zabuza was coming to the village tonight. He was on edge, and he hoped that Anko would be okay. He had been sitting in the same spot, and doing the same things for almost two hours now, Anko had left four hours earlier. It was almost one in the morning, and this feeling was getting worse.

_'I don't like this.. I'm about to go looking for her if she isn't back by one.'_

Naruto stopped what he was doing, and twitched his nose. He walked to the window, opened it, and stuck his head out. He took in a deep breath through his nose, and one thing stuck out in his mind. Blood.

_'That's Nee-Chan's blood! She needs my help!'_

"_**Be careful, we don't know how many people there might be. So change clothes quickly, and follow the scent."**_

Over the years Hikari had grown to like Anko and Ibiki, so much so she almost thought of them the same way Naruto did, as a brother and sister. But in her case, they were the younger brother and sisters. She didn't want to see anything happen to them, because she knew it would effect Naruto greatly.

He would often have nightmares at night, seeing the village come and attack him. Anko and Ibiki would come to try to save him, only to be attacked by the villagers as well. Often in these dreams, he would see them die before his eyes, as he lay helpless on the ground.

Each time, he would wake up silently screaming, and looking around the room, hoping, and praying that it was just a dream. Each time he was relieved to see that it was. Now all of those nightmares came roaring back to the front of his mind, as he thought of what might be happening to Anko.

So he quickly changed into his trademark clothes, except he wore a black shirt this time, with the kanji of Sekinin on it. He thought it was his duty to protect those he cared for, and so he decided to wear it around on his back. He thought is was fitting for what he was about to do.

He quickly clipped several of his grenades onto his belt, and his jacket before he jumped out the window and follow the smell of blood. The smell was coming from the forest, and started at the warehouse where the meeting was supposed to happen.

Stopping outside, he listened, hoping he was wrong. There was no sound coming from inside, and he could smell nothing. All the scents followed the trail of blood into the forest behind the building.

Naruto quickly followed, moving as fast as he could, while keeping silent. He activated his Kitsune Illusion, and tried to push himself to go faster.

After traveling for twnety minutes he could hear the sound of fighting, and the smell of blood was heavy in this area. Some of it was Anko's, and the others had to belong to those attacking her.

Stopping twenty yards away, he looked in at the clearing to see Anko covered in cuts, and with some Senbon needles sticking out of parts of her legs and arms. Blood was coming from a large cut on her abdomen, and she was facing a boy, that looked a year or so younger the Naruto, and a person with a massive sword, and bandages covering his mouth. He wore a mist headband with a scratch across the middle of it.

_'Zabuza! But who is that with him. That was never anything about him traveling with someone that looked like that.'_

Behind Anko there was two people with clawed gauntlets, and breathing masks on.

_'Wait.. Those must be the Demon Brothers, their claws are red.. With Anko-nee-Chan's blood. They are supposed to have poison on those claws too. DAMN!. I have to do something.'_

With that thought, Naruto worked his way closer, hoping to hear what was going on better.

"So, who are you. And why are you spying. I think it would be best for you to tell us, then we could go ahead and kill you."

"Go fuck yourself Zabuza. I'm sure you've had your fun with that sword handle before. So go enjoy yourself again!. Besides, who would have thought that you would be the pedophile type too."

Zabuza, who was the one talking first, yelled and went to attack her once again. Anko knew this would be it, she was took weak from the blood loss, and the effect of the poison. She had managed to fight off most of Zabuza's goons, but numbers played too big of a role. Now she was going to die, and Naruto wouldn't know about it for days..

Right when Zabuza was about to bring his sword down, a small metal cylinder fell in front of his face.

Anko saw the object, and quickly covered her ears and closed her eyes.

**BANG**

All of the Mist-Nins took the full force of the Flash bang as Anko looked around for Naruto. She felt something grab her arm, and spun to see a blur standing there.

Naruto dropped the Illusion for a second, only to close his eyes in concentration, as he covered Anko in it, and picked her up. He quickly ran towards a small cave he had seen on his way there.

Once there he dropped Anko down gently, and did what he could for her injuries. She bandaged up the ones he could, and pulled the needles out of her arm's and leg's.

_"Nee-chan stay here, I will try to lead them away, and come back for you. Take these pills, they should help some. I'll be right back."_

Naruto gave her some blood clotting pills, blood replenishing, and soldier pills. Anko reached out to stop him, to tell him there was nothing he could do, but he was already gone. The last thing she saw was the kanji on the back of his shirt, Sekinin.

Naruto backtracked towards he last saw the four, and listened carefully.

He could hear Zabuza yelling at the other three, asking them what happened. None of them knew, and so they decided to follow the blood trail once again. That was when Naruto knew he had to show himself, just to draw them away from the trail.

He dropped down on the other side of the clearing and clapped his hands together, drawing the attention of everyone else.

Zabuza looked over, expecting to see the blonde haired female, but only seeing a blonde haired boy standing there, looking as if he wanted to challenge them all to a fight.

"Would you look at this Haku, he wants to fight us. What should we do with him.. He looks like he is related to that bitch who was here earlier.. So maybe we could use him as bait for her."

The Demon Brothers were already making their way towards Naruto. The one Naruto now knew as Haku spoke up.

"Yes, I think so Zabuza-san. He might be able to give us information on what they are doing here."

"Good, then capture him, alive hopefully, that way we can kill him and the bitch. Hope your ready to die BASTARD!"

With that the Demon Brothers jumped at Naruto, and struck their claws into his chest and abdomen, both smiling.

They were both surprised when a cloud of smoke engulfed them, as the smoke cleared, it revealed their claws were stuck in a small log, with some metal thing attached to it.

**BANG**

A second after the Kawarimi happened, one of Naruto's makibishi frag grenades went off, sending hundreds of small makibishi flying every where. For the Demon Brothers, it meant having some sent flying into the front of the bodies, and out of their backs, sending spurts of blood flying every where.

For Zabuza, he used his massive sword as a shield, protecting himself from most of the effects.

Haku managed to create an ice shield, that stopped all of the makibishi heading for him.

The demon brothers were both on the ground, howling in pain, and unable to move, since many bones were also broken from the explosion, and the small projectiles flying through.

"Damn it! Haku find the brat, and kill him. Forget about the information, make him pay!"

Haku nodded, and jumped into the forest looking for Naruto.

No sooner had he left, did Naruto drop down behind Zabuza.

"Hehe, looks like the brother is dumber then the sister. You should have run when you had the chance. Now YOU WILL DIE!". Zabuza spun around with his sword, hoping to cut Naruto in half.

Naruto barely managed to dodge the attack as he back flipped away. He looked on as Zabuza stood there, and started to make some hand signs. Naruto braced himself for what might be coming.

Zabuza stopped, and water started to form in the air, and along the ground. The h the water started to take shape, the shape of Zabuza!.

_'Damn, a Mizu bushin. This is not good, and it sounds like that Haku person is on the way back too. He made a lot of bushins, so it is going to be hard to see which is him.'_

Naruto started to dodge the attacks of the water clones, some he couldn't dodge, and ended up with large and small cuts along his body. Stopping, Naruto grabbed a hold of a large wound in his side. He had managed to destroy some of the clones, but he was running out of his grenades.

He knew his paint and stink bombs would do nothing to help him, so he was saving those. His flash bangs would effect him right now too. He wouldn't have a chance to close his eyes, since he had to dodge attacks, and even if he plugged his ears, it would still effect him.

Naruto stopped in his thoughts as something came to his nose.

_'Blood! But this isn't the blood of any one here.. Nee-chan! Haku must have found her! Damn what am I going to do.'_

Right at that time, Haku dropped into the clearing with an unconscious Anko.

"Well Well, looks like we have your sister. Give up, or she dies.", was all Zabuza said to Naruto in a cold voice, that only gave away how annoyed he was with Naruto right now.

_Damn it! I know he is going to try to kill both of us no matter what. What else is there to do though.._

Naruto started to walk forward, slowly, that was when Hikari spoke to him, and caused him to freeze in mid step.

"_**This might be hard Otouto, but there is a way to fight them."**_

_'How, I will do anything to win and protect her.'_

"_**The only way to come out of this and survive would be using my power. I didn't want you to do this so soon, but it is the only way we can save her. Using my power can have some side effects though, even I am unsure of what they might be. Do you still want to do this?"**_

She knew the answer before she asked, but she still had to ask him.

_'I can't give up! I can let her die! If I do, I can never become Hokage, or a Ninja! I will fight them both, even if it kills me! I will do anything to protect those close to me, just like I was raised to do by her and Nii-chan! Please, let me use your power.'_

With the last thought Naruto clenched his fist, and looked up at Zabuza and Haku. What they saw in his eyes made both of their blood run cold.

Naruto's eyes had turned a blood red, with black slits in the middle. Naruto started to release a low feral growl, the growl of an animal trapped, with nothing else to do but fight to the end. As they watched, they noticed his eyes become more elongated, and his whisker marks on his cheeks becoming darker. His nails grew, and became almost claw like. His canines grew longer, and sharper.

What made them stop everything they were doing was the massive surge of Chakra that began to pour out of him. A deep red chakra, laced with the strongest killing intent they had ever felt. They were frozen in place from fear.

Haku was shaking, and collapsed down to his knees. Zabuza was shaking as well, and only able to hold himself up by using his sword.

_'This child.. What is he.. I've never felt anything like this before. This killing intent.. It's unreal. It's almost as if.. '_

Before he finished, the chakra swirling around Naruto started to take shape. It started to take the shape of a massive nine-tailed fox.

_'It can't be.. The Kyubi! Damn it! That thing is supposed to be dead, and not sealed in some child!'_

"**_Let my Nee-chan go, and you might leave with your legs attached."_**, was the first things Naruto said in a deep animalistic voice. His wounds were healing quickly. The whole time he was staring Zabuza straight in the yes.

Naruto had no idea how he managed to do it, but he did. he spoke for the first time in 5 years.

**_"Using this much of my power let's me partially share the body with you. The voice you heard was one of my own."_**

"HAHAHAHAHAHA. Who would have thought.. The Demon of the Mist frozen in fear.. All from a child, the child who is the container for the KYUBI! HAHAHA! The Demon of the Mist against the Demon of the Leaf! If you want her, come and get her!" by now all common sense had left Zabuza, and he was depending upon his anger and rage to see him through. He knew he would die, but if he did, he would take this brat with him.

Zabuza ran towards Naruto, who just stood there, waiting.

When Zabuza was five feet away, Naruto flashed throw a set of hand seals, stopping on the seal for the tiger. As he did, he took in a deep breath, bringing his right hand to his mouth, and forming a funnel.

_'Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu'_

Zabuza could feel it, the heat coming from the boy. He kept going forward, charging as he brought his massive sword around, hoping to get the kill before the Jutsu could finish. Right when he was about to connect a massive ball of flame burst forth from Naruto's mouth, and engulfed Zabuza.

Naruto watched as the flames consumed Zabuza, he turned to look over at Haku and Anko. That was when he realized something was wrong.

As Naruto turned to look at Haku and Anko, Zabuza appeared behind him, and thrust his sword forward, causing it to erupt out of the front of Naruto's chest, and sending blood flying all across the clearing. Innards also flew by, and some fell down to the ground at Naruto's feet.

_'Mizubushin and Kawarimi, I got careless.'_

Naruto gasped as he looked down and saw the massive blade sticking out of him.

_'I can't die.. If I do they will kill Anko-chan.. I can't… I must fight, if I die, they will go with me.'_

Naruto let out a blood curling roar as Red Chakra burst forth from his body, and consumed him. He grasped the blade of Zabuza's sword with his right hand, and the back behind him with his left. With power Zabuza had never seen before, Naruto used such force in twisting the blade that it shattered into two separate pieces.

Haku was shocked at the power that Naruto seemed to posses, and the extent he was going through to save this person.

_'He must truly care for her. If he is willing to do this to protect someone he cares for and loves.. He is truly a great warrior.'_

Zabuza stared down at the parts of his sword, amazed that someone had the power to be able to break his weapon as easily as a twig. He looked back up at Naruto, and could still see the massive hole in his chest as Naruto turned away to face Zabuza once again.

Naruto let out another roar, both from pain and the anger he felt for what Zabuza had done. He charged at Zabuza, chakra flying around him, as he raised a clawed hand and brought it down in a flash of Chakra.

Naruto attack caught Zabuza on the right shoulder, and went down diagonally across his chest to his left side. Leaving large gashes in his chest and shoulder. After this attack, Naruto quickly spun around, and delivered a hard kick to Zabuza's head, sending him flying across the clearing and into a large oak.

Once Zabuza hit the tree, he collapsed to the ground in a heap, barely able to move one arm up to his chest to try to stop the bleeding. Naruto charged at Zabuza again, intent on delivering the killing blow.

_'So this is how I die. In a forest at the hands of a child, all before I could accomplish my dream.'_

Zabuza closed his eyes, and waited for the final blow.

"NARUTO DON'T DO IT!" shouted Anko as she finally woke up and saw him charging across towards a badly wounded Zabuza.

Naruto froze in his tracks, his clawed hand inches from sinking into Zabuza's bloodied chest.

"Don't kill him. If you do, you will be just like him. Please don't.. .", Anko was almost in tears as she saw the condition Naruto was in, and seeing him inches away from making his first kill. All of it while in a rage. It was almost too much for her, even though she knew the life of a ninja meant death and killing at times.

Naruto looked at her, the chakra surrounding him starting to die down, and his hands, teeth and face and eyes slowly changing back to normal. As he did, he brought his right hand up to see it covered in Zabuza's blood.

Then he felt pain running through his body, and looked down to see a large hole in his chest. He slowly started to collapse down to the ground beside Zabuza as he passed out from chakra exhaustion and blood loss.

Haku left Anko where she was, and ran over to Zabuza's side, quickly checking him over, only to find he has also passed out from the massive blood loss. Haku looked down at Naruto.

_'Should I finish him off.. No Zabuza-san needs my help, and I can not treat him here. I must retreat for now. We can finish this another time.'_

With that Haku turned to face Anko.

"I could easily kill you both now.. However Zabuza-san needs my immediate attention, so be grateful, but we will finish this another day. Your brother is truly strong, willing to give his life to protect you at all costs. He will be a great person someday, I can tell that now."

With those words Haku lifted Zabuza onto his shoulders, and walked over to pick up the pieces of his sword before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Anko slowly rose to her feet, and took several unsteady steps towards Naruto before she finally managed to make it to his side. She knew Hikari would normally heal him, but she had never seen him with such severe injuries before, not even on that night 5 years ago.

"Naruto.. Please don't die on me, not now.. If you die now you will miss out on so much.."

With that she pulled Naruto onto her shoulders, and climbed to her feet using the tree as support. Once up, she started back towards the village, hoping to get there in time to save Naruto, and herself.

_'Please let me make it in time, I don't know what I would do if he died.'_

With that thought she tried to hurry back as quickly as possible.

* * *

**Back in the village**

A blonde pigtailed woman froze in place at the card table she was sitting at as a massive wave of chakra washed over her. The black hair woman behind her did the same, as they both felt the killing intent mixed with the chakra.

Everyone in the room seemed to have felt the hate and will to kill in it as several glasses fell, and shattered on the floor. Waitresses dropped trays, and feel to their knees from the feeling.

The blonde woman had only felt something like this once before, and that was 10 years ago, when the Kyubi had attacked Konoha.

_'I thought it was sealed inside of a child. Could it have broken free? I need to find out.. If it has, it might head back towards the village.'_

"Shizune, we have to leave. The source of this only belongs to one thing, and it's close by, come.".

The black haired woman named Shizune nodded, as she had felt this before, and if it was close by that could mean many things. They had to find out what happened.

"Yes Tsunade-Sama."

Both women walked out of the Gambler's Corner, and went in the direction they felt the chakra surge from.

* * *

**In Konoha**

The Hokage woke up with a start, as he felt a killing intent so massive, he thought he was under attack. He got up from his desk, and went to the window to look outside.

He did not seen the scenes of ten years ago. He saw a peaceful village, with nothing amiss. But still, he felt something was amiss, so he called for one of the guards outside of his office.

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Tell me, did you just feel a chakra surge?"

"No, I can't say I did, is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing, just an old man with jumpy nerves. Thank you, you can leave now."

The guard bowed, and closed the door.

"I know I felt that, there is only one thing that could cause this, and I am afraid of what it means. Blast it, Ibiki is still away, and I don't know who I could trust with this. I can only wait and see for now."

Little did the Hokage know, that at the same time, people all across the village, and across Fire country, who had experienced this before were now feeling it once again.

* * *

**Konoha**

Iruka watched as the sides to his mug cracked.

The mug itself was one he was given by Naruto recently, and read, "Number one Sensei" on the sides. So it was fairly new, and shouldn't break from old age.

He suddenly remembered one of the bad omens that old men and women spoke of. As he continued to stare at the mug, only one word came to mind, "Naruto."

* * *

**Otafuku Gai, Homely Woman Town**

A man in red robes, and long white hair froze at the fence he was looking in, and dropped his book and pen. He was trembling at the thoughts that came to him when he felt that Chakra wave come by.

_'No, it can't be, it couldn't have gotten free. The last I heard the kid was safe with his adopted family. There is just no way, but then why did I feel it's chakra just now. I must go back to Konoha and check.'_

With that final thought the man vanished in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**Forest in Water Country**

Anko was slowly making her way back to the village with Naruto on her back. She was barely able to walk right now, going only off of her hope to get back to the village. The poison was slowly working through her system still, and taking it's toll on her. She wasn't sure if she would be able to make it back to the village or not.

She fell down to the ground, and Naruto rolled a few feet in front of her. She was panting, and could barely see. When she looked up to check on Naruto, she saw someone coming towards them. She noticed one seemed to have blonde hair, and pigtails. The other looked to have short black hair, and was holding something in her arms.

The last thing she did before she passed out was say one word to them with a raspy voice.

"Help"

"Shizune, check on her, she looks beat up badly. There might be poison in her system by the looks of her skin, and mouth. I'll check on the boy."

Shizune nodded, and quickly checked over Anko. She noticed she was bandaged up, and even those were soaked in blood. She could tell the woman had lost a great deal of blood, and she showed signs of a strong poison in her system.

Shizune quickly started to perform a medical jutsu to heal the wounds of the woman. She healed the major ones quickly, and started to treat her for the poison in her system. She glanced over to where Tsunade was only to see her frozen in shock.

Tsunade had rolled Naruto over to check his body for injuries, what she saw surprised her. She saw a blonde hair boy, with the most amazing blue eyes she had seen once in her life. The boy had what looked like whisker marks on both of his cheeks, and he couldn't be much older then 10.

She had only seen two other people that looked like this, and as far as she knew both of them were dead.

What else shocked her was all of the blood pouring out from the body from a massive hole in the chest. Tsunade froze at the site of the injury, and the look on the boy's face.

_'He looks so much like them.. But… He is different.. Who is he?'_

Shizune saw the blood pooling around Naruto's body and knew what had cause her sensi to freeze up.

_'Not now, the boy needs help badly, the woman is fine for now, but if we don't do anything for him, he could die.'_

"Tsunade-sama, I will take care of him, you can watch over her, she is not injured as badly as him."

Shizune went to pull Tsunade away from Naruto's body, only to have her hand shaken off as Tsunade came back to this world, and turned to look at Shizune.

"Shizune, I will take care of him. It's just.. He reminds me so much of people I thought were long since dead." as Tsunade said this, several tears started to roll down her cheeks. It had been a long time since she shed tears this way.

"Hai Tsunade-sama, I will gather some wood for the night.".

Tsunade nodded before she quickly did what she could to try to save this young boy's life who reminded her some much of Nawaki.He also had a stricking resmeblence to her former team mate's greatest student.

_'Who is this boy, and why are they out here.'_

* * *

**Author's note:**

There you have it, another chapter. I know I did a large time skip, but I will fill in the blanks slowly in the following chapters. Hope everyone enjoys this one as well as they did the previous ones. Feel free to comment how ever you want, be it harsh, or praise.

Okay, fixed some of my big errors, like Naruto talking in a regular voice. I sometimes even forget about him being mute at times, and it just flies from my fingers. So thanks to those who pointed it out to me.

Feel free to send PMs with any suggestions or feedback that you don't feel like putting in the reviews.


	6. Waking and Training

_'Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

_**'Demon thoughts'**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

Tsunade had rolled Naruto over to check his body for injuries, what she saw surprised her.

She saw a blonde hair boy, with the most amazing blue eyes she had seen once in her life. The boy had what looked like whisker marks on both of his cheeks, and he couldn't be much older then 10.

She had only seen two other people that looked like this, and as far as she knew both of them were dead.

What else shocked her was all of the blood pouring out from the body from a massive hole in the chest. Tsunade froze at the site of the injury, and the look on the boy's face.

_'He looks so much like them.. But… He is different.. Who is he?'_

Shizune saw the blood pooling around Naruto's body and knew what had caused her Sensei to freeze up.

_'Not now, the boy needs help badly, the woman is fine for now, but if we don't do anything for him, he could die.'_

"Tsunade-sama, I will take care of him, you can watch over her, she is not injured as badly as him..", Shizune went to pull Tsunade away from Naruto's body, only to have her hand shaken off as Tsunade came back to this world, and turned to look at Shizune.

"Shizune, I will take care of him. It's just.. He reminds me so much of people I thought were long since dead.", as Tsunade said this, several tears started to roll down her cheeks. It had been a long time since she shed tears this way.

"Hai Tsunade-sama, I will gather some wood for the night.".

Tsunade nodded before she quickly did what she could to try to save this young boy's life who reminded her some much of Nawaki. What surprised her the most was how much he resembled Jirarya's greatest student.

_'Who is this boy, and why are these two out here.'_

* * *

**In Naruto's Mindscape**

"_**Naruto, we need to talk about what is going to happen or what might happen very soon."**_ spoke Hikari once Naruto had made his way to where she now rested.

Over the last five years they had managed to turn Naruto's mind into something more fitting for Hikari, something other then the sewer it was before.

Instead of being in a massive cage, surrounded by pipes, and ankle deep puddles of water, they were now in a lush grove of pine trees, with flowers scattered around it.

Naruto had learned from Hikari that the reason for the way his Mindscape was so trashed when he first entered it was because of his mental anguish that he had been through for the first 5 years of his life. But since he now had a family, and people willing to care for him, his mind had become cleaner, and more relaxed. He no longer had to fight for food, or for his survival every minute of his life. Now he had a home he could feel safe in, and people that would protect him. For once he had things to be happy about.

As his emotions changed, so did his Mindscape, he then learned how he could mold it to his liking, and so he turned it into something Hikari would enjoy. He had learned that Hikari enjoyed flowers, and the forests when he started to live at the new house. So he decided to change his Mindscape into something similar.

When he first changed it to the pine grove with the flower filled clearing Hikari had been over come at what he was giving her. She fought to hold back her tears as best as she possibly could.

Even with these changes though, she was still unable to comfort him, or hold him when she needed to. Her power would flow into him, and with him in a city like Konoha, anyone feeling it would become alarmed. Now though, those things might begin to change, since he had finally been forced to use her powers.

Using them had still overwhelmed him, but she had thought up something for this occasion, and she thought it was finally time to put the plan into action.

Naruto walked into the grove, and sat across from his Nee-chan, "Nee-chan, before we do anything, I need to know, is Anko-nee-chan okay? I saw her face when she looked at me.. When I was about to kill Zabuza.. She looked terrified and sad at what I was going to do.. I don't know if she will still want me or not. But I guess if she is okay, then nothing else really matters."

"_**She is fine Naruto. Right now she is being treated by someone for her injuries, as are you. So there is nothing to.."**_

"What injuries? I thought that I was healed when I used your power?"

"_**Well yes, those minor ones were healed, but during that time you fought on instinct, and also were severely injured in the final moments of the battle. You see, Zabuza managed to stab straight through you with his sword.**_

_**"So I was keeping you alive by making your body produce more blood then normal, that was only good for a short time though. If you were not given medical attention with in an hour, then there is no telling what might have happened.**_

_**"Thankfully, as Anko-chan was taking you to the city for help, she stumbled across someone that we have been searching for. That person is currently healing you, and now I am also assisting in the healing process, since I no longer need to focus on just keeping you a live. Once again though, all of the wounds will be healed, but there will be scars left behind. **__**After today though, that may end, you may soon be able to heal without leaving any trace of your injuries. That is what I wished to speak with you about."**_

"So we finally found Tsunade? I guess I should say she found us huh?" Naruto let out a small laugh as he remembered all the searching that had been done to find her, and here she found them in the middle of some forest in Water country.

"_**Yes, so we may be able to fix another problem. But first I want to tell you about the power that you used."**_

Naruto nodded, he was eager to learn more about the massive power he felt before. He knew it was not something to be taken lightly, but he still couldn't wait to hear about it, and possibly learn how to use it regularly.

"_**I think the first thing to say is that what you used a great deal of my power. But, since you could not control it enough, a large amount of it went to waste. Thankfully I was able to limit the amount you pulled out finally. If I had not stopped the flow, you could have lost yourself in the power. If that happened, the seal could break, and unleash a massive Chakra eruption that would destroy everything for miles around. **__**Once the seal breaks I would be free, but it would have been at the cost of you and Anko-chan. Not something I would be willing to trade for my freedom."**_

"I didn't know that could happen.. If I did I may not have asked for your power to help me.. I wouldn't want to cause so much destruction and death."

"_**Yet, if you didn't, both you and Anko-chan would be dead right now. She was afraid, but not afraid of you. She was afraid of you killing someone so soon. She was more then likely afraid of how you might react to killing someone. She loves you, and would never abandon you.**_

_**"She was sad as well, she saw you nearly dead on your feet. She probably felt she was going to lose you in that instant. You have changed her a great deal, and she doesn't want to go back to how she used to be. She fears being alone again just as much as you do. Do not forget that."**_

Naruto nodded his head. He never would have expected to hear that Anko felt that way, she always seemed so strong to him. He silently made another promise to himself then. He would not cause her to cry again, he would do his best to make sure she was always happy.

"_**Now we need to discuss the other matter at hands. Since you have used my powers for the first time, many people now know that I've awakened so to speak. Some of these people could be allies, others could be enemies. You will have to be cautious, and learn how to use my powers more effectively. Not only that, but you may also need to train more in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and possibly Genjutsu, but I think you are suited more for the other two ninja arts.**_

_**"You will have to work on your control again also. Now that you have drawn on some of my power, your control will be completely messed up. So be ready to relearn all of your chakra control exercises. Learning to use and control my power with out wasting it will be extremely hard, as my normal power is very volatile. So don't expect it to be easy.**_

_**"Also, since you will be using my power, the might be changes to your body. I don't think they will be drastic changes at first, but as you grow older, some of your features may end up more like an animal, or a fox to be exact. One example, your eyes may take on the shape, and the abilities of a fox. So in theory, you may become more half-demon."**_

"What do you mean by me being a half-demon? I thought I was human?"

"_**You are, but you also have me inside of you. That means that you will develop some of my traits, and may become a half-demon. Some of the changes have already started to happen now that you've tapped into my powers. Others may occur over time, but at this time the effects are minimal. As you grow older, they will become more pronounced."**_

"I guess that doesn't sound too bad, is there anything else?", asked the confused and worried Naruto.

"_**Well you will heal much quicker now. Your healing ability to now be much quicker, since I will not have to force my chakra into you. Now there will always be some flowing in you. It won't be enough to over power your own chakra, but abilities of the Hyuga clan or the Uchiha clan might be able to see it. Your facial features may also change some, become sharper, and more defined. Your body may grow as well, taller, and stronger. Your eyes could change color, or even shape. Your ears could become regular fox ears, or just become more pointed. All of your sense will be enhanced, more then what they are now."**_

"I hope it is nothing too serious, I don't want to give the villagers another reason to hate me. Not to mention the few friends I have might hate me if they see that I am a demon."

"_**I wouldn't care about what those idiotic villagers think. As for your friends, if they are true friends, they will accept you no matter how you look. If they don't, then they were never real friends to begin with."**_

"How can I learn to use your powers without losing control, like I did this time? I don't want to hurt any of my friends if I need to use your powers…"

"_**That you would have to practice drawing out. Right now it only seems like you can draw on it if I grant the power to you, or in a life or death situation. Both of which are not very effective. So you must practice drawing my powers out at will. This can be done by running your regular chakra reserves down, and then drawing my powers. Another way is through meditation. With meditation, you can focus on my power, and try to control it in small amounts, and build up.**_

_**"I also thought of something to try to keep you from over loading yourself. Well, to be more exact, that old stick in the mud Ragnarok had the idea. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before one of us might be captured this way, so he had certain things made to help the vessels. When we last went to my lair 5 years ago, I had you get those items, mostly in hope that we would never need them till you were much older. But it seems we will have to do it sooner."**_

"What are they? You never let me look at what they were."

"_**The items are made from Ragnarok's own scales, which is very rare for a Demon Lord to do. But, the only reason this was done is because no other material or armor could come close to containing our power. So Ragnarok willingly took some of his own scales, and had one of the greatest blacksmiths of the time forge them into an armor. This armor was imbued with special seals, that would contain our power so that our vessels would not kill themselves with it.**_

_**"The armor was also designed to fit itself to whoever held the power it was designed for. This was done since there was no way to tell what kind of body we would be put into. The armor for myself was a set of bracers, shin guards, All of this is just like leather, but as strong as steel. Once some of my power in channeled to it while you are wearing it, it will change shape to fit your body, since you will still be growing, it will also grow as you do. The armor will not hinder your movements in any way, and should allow you to perform Taijutsu as if it was never there."**_

"This Ragnarok guy seems to be pretty smart. I wish I could meet him to thank him for this. He seems to have thought about everything."

"_**While he may be a grumpy dragon at times, but he does have vast knowledge, and tries to think about numerous scenarios before he does anything. He was our tactician when ever we would do something on a large scale. He was also a worthy opponent in Shogi, Go, Chess, and any other board games similar to them. **_

_**"The dragon clan that he ruled over was one of the greatest. They had a massive amount of knowledge, as well immense power when they decided to use it. That is how he became the Lord of all dragons. It is also how he gained the respect of every other Lord and clan in the demon world. But enough about that old wind bag, if he heard me now he would gloat."**_

"Sounds like he would really enjoy playing Shikamaru, since no one seems to be able to beat him in those types of games."

Hikari nodded, and decided to continue.

"_**Now, when we return there are some basic exercises I want to do with you, just so you can learn to use my power little by little. I also think that it is time that I started to train you in a weapon style, and combat style, one that majority of the Kitsune clans use. I can't have my brother dieing on me now can I?"**_

"Hehe, guess not. So what are you going to teach me this time?"

"_**I will teach you the fighting style of the Kitsune. Kitsunes specialize in close combat Taijutsu. We use a number of weapons for this, but many prefer Sais, Tonfas, and hand/foot claws. **__**Sais are very effective weapons in the right hands. They are perfect for combating swords, and poled weapons. They can also be uses as a sort of ranged weapon, but only for short distances. **__**Some of us use our natural claws, while others use the ones you humans call Shuko. Once you learn how to use them, not many will be able to rival you in close combat.**_

_**"Tonfas come in all shapes, sizes and forms. You have regular Tonfas, which are normally a little longer then your forearm, and you grasp them by handles so that they run parallel to your arms. Most was used to cause blunt force trauma damage, such as breaking bones, or severe bruising of the skin, just like punches and kicks. Other styles, such as Bladed Tonfas are rather self explanatory I hope. Then there are the heavier ones, which have a large metal ball on the end of them. There are too many to explain right now, but I will show you them when we begin training for them.**_

_**"But, you can not depend upon that only. You will have to increase your ability to battle from a distance. You must also practice normal Taijutsu, with your own hands and body, without the use of weapons. I can not help you much there, but I'm sure Anko-chan might be able to."**_

"Ok, anything else you want to add?"

"_**Yes, I will also give you a gift, one that will have to wait till you graduate. But that one is a surprise for two years from now. No amount of begging is going to make me tell you."**_

"You are mean at times Nee-chan… but I guess I can handle it for now. It just better be worth it."

"_**Oh, I think it will be. Many will be surprised when you do it once you master it. What I can tell you is that it is a high level jutsu. But I think it is time you got some rest. Most of the major healing has been handled now, and you need to sleep."**_

"Alright.. I guess I will see you in the morning Nee-chan."

With that Naruto faded from the Mindscape and drifted off to sleep leaving Hikari there to wonder how much he may change from this experience.

* * *

_**Forest in Water Country**_

Anko felt warm, almost as if she was laying by a fire.

She slowly started to wake up, and noticed the night sky, and shadows dancing around her. She rolled her head to the right to see a campfire going, and felt blankets wrapped around her.

She slowly became more aware of her surroundings, and then she remembered the last thing that happened before she pasted out.

"NARUTO!"

She started to look around the clearing she was in, looking for signs of her little brother. She quickly came across the sight of Naruto on the other side of the fire wrapped in blankets. She jumped from where she was sitting, and ran over to Naruto.

She looked him over and realized that he was just sleeping. She pull the blankets off of him to see he was only in his pants, and his torso wrapped in bandages. His torn shirt and vest sat discarded not far from him.

"Thank Kami, you are okay.. I don't know.. Damn you, don't you do anything so stupid again.." Anko was interrupted by a voice coming from the other side of the clearing.

"Ah, I see you are finally awake. You've been asleep for almost a day and a half now. I was starting to worry that we missed some of the poison in you." spoke a medium height, big busted young blonde walking towards Anko.

"Who.. wait.. YOU!" the last word was yelled out by Anko as she jumped to her feet, and jumped at the woman with killing intent rolling off of her.

The woman dodged the attacks easily, and continue doing so before she grew tired of the games and raised her arm, with a small rock positioned in her hand. She casually thumped the rock at Anko, with it hitting her in the stomach.

"ugh…"

"I don't know what your problem is, or why you wish to attack me. In your condition, and the condition I found your brother in, I would expect some gratitude, and not an attempt on my life."

Anko slowly climbed back to her feet, her right arm grasping her stomach.

"Damn YOU! Do you know how long we have been looking for you! FIVE YEARS! We have been looking for five years for you to try to heal him.. And here you are, expecting a thank you? You have no idea what he has been through, or how much you could have changed it.."

As she spoke she began to break down, falling to her knees, and hitting the ground as tears started to form as the memories came back to her.

"I don't know who you are, are who this boy is. But I am sorry.. I have no idea what injury would require my help, but if you will calm down, we can talk about it, and see what all I can do. You could also tell me who you are, and who your brother is."

Tsunade paused here, and looked over to where Naruto was laying sleeping peacefully.

Anko pulled herself together and moved towards the fire and took a seat opposite of the woman.

"I'm sorry Tsunade-sama.. It's just the Hokage has had people searching for you for five years, all to try to help my little brother. And yet, here we find you in Water country, with him nearly dead."

Tsunade nodded, and calmly spoke up, "I understand how you feel, I would probably feel the same way if I was in your place. But please, tell me your names, and what this has to do with me."

"My name is Mitarashi Anko, Special Jonin of the Leaf village. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, Leaf academy student. We were both here on a special A-Class mission. We were to gather information on a Nukenin from the Mist. But things did not go as planned obviously."

"You brought a child on this mission? Has Sarutobi-sensei gotten that old.. "

"No, the Hokage had good reason to. We were to be disguised as a brother and sister. I went out two nights ago to listen in on a meeting, and was discovered. If it wasn't for this "child", as you so kindly put it, I would be dead right now."

"You mean to tell me he saved you from these Nukenins from the Mist? I find that…" Tsunade was cut off as Anko spoke up again, with barely restrained anger.

"Yes he did, all because he drew upon something that many hoped he would never have to do, the Kyubi."

Tsunade's blood froze when she heard this, she slowly looked at the child once again, with a look of awe on her face.

_'This boy, Uzumaki Naruto, was, no is the Kyubi container. That would explain why we felt the Kyubi's power. He must have used it to fight those Nins. That would explain a great deal.'_

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she turns back to Anko.

"Why not tell me what I have to do with all of this? You mentioned looking for me for five years."

Anko nodded and started to tell the story of Naruto's life for the last five years, and what she knew of his life before that.

While Anko told her story, Shizune had returned with some supplies, and sat to listen to what Anko was saying. This time went without many interruptions, the only time anyone would speak up is to ask questions about events, or people.

Tsunade was disgusted at the story, Shizune was shocked. How could people treat a child this way, all because he had no choice in what he was used for. Upon hearing the story of Hikari's attack on Konoha, both Shizune and Tsunade were surprised.

First they were surprised that the Kyubi had attacked because of Orochimaru, and his twisted experiments.

The next thing they were surprised to hear about was that the Kyubi, who every one thought was a he, turned out to be a she. Her name was Hikari according to Anko, and she too wanted to be a sister to Naruto. They never figured that the beast that attacked Konoha would be willing to care for some human child from that village.

Tsunade and Shizune could both hardly believe what they were being told. What caused them the most turmoil was the story of Naruto's injury five years ago, the one that has prevented him from speaking the last few years. When they heard that the Hokage has had Anbu, and other village Ninja searching for them, all in hopes of them being able to help Naruto, they were angry with themselves.

_'How many of those people we thought were debt collectors were actually people asking us to come for Naruto?'_

That thought raced through Tsunade's and Shizune's mind throughout the story. Finally when Anko finished, Tsunade was the first to speak up.

"I-I would say I'm sorry, but that just doesn't seem to be suitable. There is nothing that I could say to express how sorry I am. But I think since we have found each other, we should take advantage of this. I will check him over, to see if there is anything I can do. But, from the sound of things, there might have been something about that kunai that was used. A poison or seal on it that was designed for this purpose. It may still be in his system in fact, and only a very in depth scan and knowledge would be able to reveal it. This is all just a guess, because normal medical jutsus should be able to heal a wound, so should the Kyubi."

Anko nodded in understanding

_'If I find out who put such things on that kunai, I will hunt them down and kill them myself.'_

Tsunade walked over to the still sleeping form of Naruto, and made a few quick hand seals before her hands started to glow a bright green.

_'This is odd, almost his entire vocal system has been destroyed to some degree. Almost as if something was eating away at it. This has to have been a poison, one strong enough to stop the chakra from the Kyubi from healing it, or just strong enough to not allow it to fully heal.' _

Tsunade concentrated more chakra into her hands, the results were seen instantly as the glow around her hands became more intense.

_'It seems what ever this poison was, it was designed to do massive damage to an area when first introduced, from there it would slowly die away. But, by the time it did, it would have completely destroyed the muscles or the tissues it was put in. In this case, the vocal system. __It is a strong poison, but nothing I shouldn't be able to cure with the right amount of chakra, and the help of the Kyubi. He would have to relearn how to speak, but I think he will be able to do it in no time if what Anko said was true about his determination.' _

"It does seem that a strong poison was put into him from that stab. The poison was designed to eat away at what ever muscle or tissue it was injected into. After that it continues to eat away and stays for some time. It is still very active and potent right now, which is why it has been unable to heal.

"I can heal it, with a little help from the Kyubi. I think once she sees what I am doing, she will do it without us having to wake Naruto-kun up. I will be rebuilding the cords from scratch, so he may have to relearn how to talk. I do not know how the healing of the Kyubi works, but that is my guess based on other medical techniques. So without further hesitation, shall I continue?"

"Yes" was the simple answer from Anko as she watched on, waiting to see what would finally happen.

"Tsunade-sama, I have a question though, who could create a poison like this? Wouldn't it take someone with a great deal of knowledge of the inner body and how it works?" asked Shizune as Tsunade was starting to work on Naruto.

Tsunade hung her head down, there was only one person she could think of who could make a poison such as this, and she hadn't seen him for years.

"Shizune, there is only one person who could do this. Not only does it require knowledge of the body, but also of poisons. Of everyone I know there is only three people that I know of such knowledge. One of them is you Shizune, and I know you would never do such a thing."

"Who are the other two?"

"One would be myself.. The other is a bastard, who turned his back on the village years ago after he was found doing experiments on villagers and fellow Shinobi. But why he is interested in Naruto I have no idea, but Sarutobi-sensei might know."

"_**Orochimaru!"**_

Hikari knew who it had to be from that brief description, and it only infuriated her more that it might have been because of her, that Naruto was put in this state.

Anko jerked her head up, she knew of only one person who could do such work, and had done it in the past. _'That BASTARD! This is just something that he would do. But why to Naruto? There must be something that no one has told me or Ibiki.'_

Anko and Shizune watched as Tsunade once again made a series of seals, and placed her hands above Naruto's throat, and the green glow once again surrounded them. This time though the green chakra slowly seeped into Naruto's body.

_'Good, this might be easier then I thought. Now to just focus, and try to pull this poison out.'_

As Tsunade was thinking this, she felt something else begin to flow around the area. What ever it was held no malicious intent, it seemed to welcome her, and was trying to assist her in the healing.

Tsunade was finally able to gather all of the poison with her chakra, and started to slowly pull it out of the body, careful to not leave or miss a single drop as she moved it.

Anko and Shizune were watching the process, and saw a small bugle appeared in Naruto's neck. Then the green glow of Tsunade's chakra began to flow out while it still surrounded a strange brown liquid.

"Shizune, get a vial or some container to hold this. We can take a look at it once we get back to Konoha."

Shizune stopped when she heard the last part, and looked back towards Tsunade with a confused, and hopeful look on her face.

"If the doctors there couldn't see this, then we seriously need to get there and update their training some. I'm surprised Sarutobi-sensei let them become this relaxed in it. We are not going back for anything else, just to check on the medical staff, and the quality of the personal they have working in the hospital."

Anko snorted at this, causing both Tsunade and Shizune to turn towards her.

"Those pricks at the hospital are lucky we need doctors and medic-nin. If not then Ibiki and I would have killed several of them five years ago.", answered Anko, voice dripping with hate and disdain.

"What do you mean? Didn't they do what they could for Naruto-kun?" asked a shocked and curious Shizune, she was already taing a liking to the blonde

"Oh sure, maybe five or six people did. The rest didn't want to treat the "demon spawn". Hell no one bothered to help him when Ibiki brought him in at first. The only one who did decide to help was a Doctor Mihara. If it wasn't for him and a few others, Naruto wouldn't be here right now."

Shizune was shocked, how could someone in a hospital refuse to help anyone, let alone a child. If the people there were that hateful towards Naruto, she was surprised that he still seemed to be as carefree as Anko made him out to be. She could also understand why he played so many practical jokes on them.

Tsunade on the other hand was visibly shaking, shaking with anger and rage that someone in the medical field could be so narrow minded.

"Thank you Anko, now when we get back I will be doing something other then checking on their skills. I will more then likely be redecorating the hospital once we get there, and I see the official reports from that night.", spoke a visibly angry Tsunade. She couldn't believe this either, but then again, after hearing the story behind Naruto, she wasn't as surprised as Shizune.

_'No, this will not continue. If they can't treat him like a normal boy, and as a hero like the Yondaime wanted, then they don't deserve to live. They will learn the true meaning of pain once I get there. If they can't learn to understand and accept him, then maybe he can find that acceptance in another place.'_

"Now that the poison is out, I can focus on the healing. Anko, Shizune, why don't you get some sleep. I can handle the watch, as well as the healing."

"I think I'll stay up too, just incase Naruto wakes up. That way he can see that everything is fine."

Tsunade nodded to Anko, and looked at Shizune, who seemed to share the same idea.

"I think I'll make some tea for us, no need in us going thirsty while we wait for him to get up is there?" stated Shizune as she started pulling the said items from her pack.

With a small nod to Shizune and Anko, Tsunade started on the process of healing Naruto.

* * *

**Konoha**

It had been two days since many felt the Kyubi's chakra explode, and they still had no news about what had happened. Many clan heads came to him asking, and demanding answers. They all wanted to send ANBU squads to hunt down Naruto, and if needed to kill him, or to some just kill him out right.

The Hokage was in one such meeting at this time, waiting for it to be over so that he could get rid of the massive headache that was forming. Currently it was the Hyuga clan, Yamanaka, and several elders from the Hyugas.

"Hokage-sama, I understand your reluctance, but if we wait any longer, who knows what the Kyubi may do if is it free. As far as we know it could be heading here to finish the job it started ten years ago. We must find the demon, and kill it, no matter what form it is in!" spoke one of the Hyuga elders.

Others from the Hyuga clan were nodding in agreement except for Hyuga Hiashi.

"No, we must wait and see. I trust Naruto and Anko. Naruto would never let the Kyubi break free, and would die trying to stop it if he needed to. As for Anko, she would have told us if something was wrong. Since no message has been sent, we must assume everything is alright, that the demon as not broken free." firmly stated the Hokage, calmly looking at the faces in the room.

He couldn't tell the clans the entire story behind the Kyubi, because he was sure few, if any would believe such things. All it seemed that they knew was that it attacked, and did not care for the reason why it attacked.

"If we must, we can call the Council of Elders together, and put it to a vote. If we do, there is no way you could disobey the Council. You would be forced to..." here the Hyuga elder was cut off as a cloud of smoke appeared in front of the man, and interrupting his speech.

"Ah, I don't think any such thing needs to be done. Unless you Hyuga just like to get your way all the time?" questioned a voice from within the smoke.

Everyone was waving their hands to clear the smoke from the faces, as well as try to move it out of the room, all so that they could see who interrupted the meeting.

As the smoke started to clear, the first thing everyone noticed was white hair. Lots of white hair, that was spiked in all directions. They quickly noticed the rest of the man. Red robes, with lose fitting traditional black ninja garb underneath, a forehead protector with horns, and the symbol for oil engraved upon it. A face with twin red lines leading down from his eyes. There was only one person who looked like this in all of Konoha.

"Ah, glad that you could make it Jiraiya, you made it just in time for a nice little debate." said the Hokage as he looked at his former student.

"Well now, I couldn't just ignore the situation, besides, I thought you might need a hand Sensei." after addressing the Hokage, he turned to the others gathered in the room.

"I do not think it is time to call the Council together. If need be, I can go investigate the situation. This would obviously be a better choice then sending precious squads of ANBU into an unknown situation, with very little knowledge of what to expect." here Jiraiya looked around the room, and his gaze settled on the Elder who first spoke up.

"Besides, you should know from experience, that no amount of ANBU, or any other Nin could be capable of taking out the Kyubi. After all, last time it took the Fourth's life just to manage to seal it. Imagine what it would take to kill it…." Jiraiya left that hanging in the air as he looked at the faces of the Hyugas.

Many of the Elders were mumbling about still gathering the Council, no one spoke up until Hiashi stepped forward.

"Jiraiya-sama, I believe that would be the wisest thing to do. We would not want to lose important assets in our Shinobi ranks by sending them to their deaths."

After this other Hyuga Elders nodded in agreement, not willing to cross Hiashi, as well as Jiraiya.

"Then it is settled, Jiraiya will go to Water Country to check on Naruto and Anko. He will report back his findings as soon as possible. Jiraiya, please leave as soon as possible, and we hope to hear good news from you. Now if everyone would, I have work to do, and I am sure you have more important matters to handle."

As the Hokage finished, everyone started to leave the room, as Jiraiya was about to leave, he was stopped by the Hokage's voice calling him back in.

"Jiraiya, before you go, there is some things you need to know.", with that Jiraiya closed the doors to the office, and settled in for the story the Hokage was about to tell him.

* * *

**Academy**

Everyone in the class was enjoying the small break they had, most people were talking or playing around. Others just sat with their heads on the desks, others, mostly the girls, were too busy gossiping, and giggling while they looked at one boy in the class, Uchiha Sasuke.

Others were gathered in the back corner of the room talking, and concerned about a friend they have not seen in weeks.

"I wonder where Naruto is, he's been gone for almost four weeks now, and we still haven't heard anything from him. Not only that, but Ibiki-san hasn't seen or heard anything from him and Anko-san in that same time.", stated Shikamaru.

Choji and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Don't forget, that for the last few days Iruka-sensei has been on edge, and has been going to the Hokage's office any chance he gets. Anytime we ask him about Naruto-kun he seems to become sad. The same happens when anyone else in class asks about him."

Hinata was just as worried as everyone else, if not more so. Her father, and many of the Hyuga elders have been acting the same way the last few days, except there was more fear, and hate in the way they acted.

When she asked her father about it, she was told not to worry, that everything would be fine. That she should be more concerned with her training, since her younger sister was doing far better in the family Taijutsu style then Hinata was currently doing.

Choji was sitting there eating his favorite chips, and listening in to what the others were saying. That was till he decided to toss his own comment in.

"I asked my dad and mom about the house he is supposed to be staying at, and they were surprised when I mentioned it. My dad didn't seem to mind much, but my mom looked extremely mad. She told me not to bother worrying about trash like him. But my Dad stopped her, and said that I could have any friends I want as long as I accepted them, and they accepted me."

It was no secret that Choji's mom didn't like Naruto, as a matter of fact not many parents did like him. Many students and children in the village had been told by their parents he was nothing but trouble. Most believed it, unless they saw how Naruto really acts at times.

Much like his three friends.

Shikamaru and Hinata nodded, they had both done the same thing, and come across with similar results.

"I guess it can't be helped, Naruto is truly being a pain this time, we only have one option left to use." stated the lazy Nara.

"What do you mean Shikamaru? No one is telling us anything. None of the adults are speaking, and they all seem a little scared when we mention Naruto's name." asked Choji between handfuls of BBQ flavored chips.

After letting out a deep sigh, Shikamaru finally spoke up.

"There is only one person who doesn't seem to be to bothered, and he could probably be the only one to give us any answers. Hokage-sama always seemed to be interested in Naruto, and cared for him, so I think we should go to his office."

"B-but do you really think that the Hokage would see us? I'm sure he has more important things to do them be bothered by some Academy Students." asked the surprised and stunned Hinata. She had never been good with authority figures, and seeing and talking to the Hokage almost felt like being in front of the clan Elders.

"Like I said, Naruto is being troublesome. This is the only way we could get some honest answers. If we don't try this, then we will just have to wait till Naruto gets back…." all of them knew there was a chance that he might not come back, but they would never say it in front of everyone else. They could only hope he would come back.

As the three sat there, all with similar thoughts going through their minds, a person they never expected came walking up towards them, Ino.

"Um, hey guys.. I was wondering, since you are his best friends and all, have any of you seen Naruto? The place has been pretty boring without him running around causing trouble. It's just not the same with out him here for some reason."

Ino stood in front of the three, barely able to look them in the eyes. The memory of what was said weeks ago still in her mind. After that incident she had sat down and thought a lot about how she had treated him, even though he seemed to have tried to be nice to everyone. He only seemed to be rude or mean to those who did it to him first.

"Not sure why you care or anything Ino, but no, we have not seen or heard from him since he left weeks ago. We are all starting to get a little worried about him though." spoke of Shikamaru in a lazy tone.

"Yeah, I noticed the looks on your faces. I also noticed how Iruka-sensei has been acting lately, like the big pause when he checks attendance and comes to Naruto's name. Hell, anytime someone mentions him Iruka-sensei just gets a strange look.. Like he is worried or upset about something."

"We know Ino, that is why we planned on trying to talk to the Hokage. No other adults would give us answers, so maybe he will. If not, there just isn't much else we can do except wait for him to get back."

"Hey, do you mind if I go with you guys? I understand though if you wouldn't want me to go. I haven't been one of the greatest people in the world when it comes to Naruto. I just feel real bad about how I treated him after what I heard from you Choji.. So could I go, please?"

Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji looked at each other, and then looked to Ino before each gave her a nod.

"Ino, I don't think Naruto would mind besides, the more people we have with us, the harder it will be for the Hokage to ignore us."

"Thanks Choji!"

* * *

**Water Country**

It had only been two days since Tsunade started to work on the delicate process of healing Naruto's vocal system, and she was surprised to see that it was completely healed already. During this time she kept him under a forced sleep technique, only to make sure he would not wake in the middle of the process.

During this time Anko had talked some more with Shizune and Tsunade, letting them know of other things that have happened in the village while they were gone. She also let them in on a few of her pet peeves that she shared with Hikari. Tsunade was surprised to say the least that Hikari, Anko, and herself had so much in common. Each wanting to kill Orochimaru, and the shared hatred for perverts.

Anko had also let slip about where she, Ibiki and Naruto were now living, which surprised Tsunade even more. She remembered some rather enjoyable times there, and how magnificent the garden there was at nights. She had really missed the place, and now she was looking forward to seeing it once again.

During their little talks Tsunade had mentioned her intentions of returning to the village. She never did say though how long she planned on staying, only that she had some business she needed to take care of back there.

During this time they also kept watch for Zabuza, and any of his followers. They had to know how injured Anko and Naruto was, so it would only be right for them to send someone to check if they were dead or alive. However, no one ever came in the time that it took Tsunade to work on Naruto, and for that they were all thankful.

* * *

**Mindscape**

Naruto was once again in the clearing with Hikari, at first they just talked about the Academy, and his friends. It only seemed like a short time to Naruto, so he was obviously surprised when Hikari told him he had actually been sleeping the last two days. Two days in which Tsunade and herself had been working on repairing the damage done to him.

During these two days though, Naruto had also started to learn the basics of the forms for the Taijutsu style Hikari was going to teach him. She was a slave driver when it came to doing the forms, never settling for anything less then perfect. But Naruto was used to it, since Anko was exactly the same way.

The training for what Hikari called the Kitsune Sacred Arts was harsh, and made Naruto glad most of it was just in his mind, for now. Before even teaching him, Hikari had made him promise her two things. First, he would not teach anyone this style, no matter how much they beg. Second, he would continue to practice this when he was not doing working on his other styles and skills.

But finally Hikari had to let him go, before everyone else would begin to worry about him.

"_**Naruto-kun, I think it is time for you to wake up. We have completely healed your vocal system now. But you need to remember, it might be a little hard to talk at first, the muscles and ligaments are still new, so there is no telling how it will affect your speech.**_

_**"The worst that could happen is that you would have to re-learn how to talk. But seeing how determined you can be, I don't think that will be a problem. However, the other extreme could be true. With my powers I heal your wounds to the point where they almost never existed, so combine that with the aide of Tsunade, and you might be able to speak right away. Just remember these things when you wake up."**_, with that she sent a pulse of chakra out to send Naruto back to his body.

* * *

**Water Country**

Naruto was just returned to his body from the deepest part of his mind, and was slowly waking up. He stayed laying down where he was, and he slowly let but things together, and tried to get himself up to speed.

He could tell he was on the floor of the forest, and possibly inside of a sleeping bag. He felt warm, almost too warm for just a simple sleeping bag.

_'That has to mean that I'm near a fire of some kind, come to think of it, I can hear the wood cracking now, and smell the wood burning. Hm, what is that other smell… FISH! I almost forgot how long it has been since I had something to eat.'_

With this thought Naruto slowly started to wiggle his way out of the bag. Once out, he took a look around the camp to get his bearings now. He could see Anko sleeping just a few feet away from him, and some strange woman with short black hair on the other side of the fire sleeping with something under her arm.

_'What is she holding.. Is that.. A PIG! What in the world.. Wait maybe it's for breakfast or something, sausages, bacon… Now all I need is a chicken or something for some eggs.'_

Naruto slowly got up and followed the scent of fish cooking. As he walked he noticed that there was another sleeping bag, but no one was in it. Just then he heard the sound of giggling.

_'What the. Could that be the other person? Why are they giggling like Kiba with his magazines…Wait, I've only heard perverts act like that. Guess I will have to teach them a lesson.'_

With that Naruto looked around the small clearing, hoping to find his bag with his grenades. After looking around the clearing three more times, he finally noticed the bag over by Anko.

Walking over, he gently took the bag out form under her arms, and slowly walked to where he could here the person giggling. As he got closer he could also hear the distinct sound of running water, and someone splashing water.

_'Hey, is someone humming too? Could it be two people then? Someone bathing, with a pervert watching.. Wish I had some of my frag grenades or flash bangs left, guess a sky blue paint bomb will have to do.'_

Naruto slowly made his way over, making sure to follow the things he was taught by Ibiki and Anko. He made sure to avoid leaves, sticks and twigs on the ground, as well as moving any bushes to fast.

As he got closer he could see a mass of white hair, and it looked like the person had his hands up to his face. Naruto stopped where he was, and crouched down, while slowly pulling a bomb from his pack.

Slowly, he pulled the pin on the device, and tossed it over to the white hair person.

_'Hope you enjoy the sky blue paint you Pervert.' _

* * *

**Jiraiya Point of View**

Jiraiya had just gotten to Water country that morning, and was thankful he knew more then one way to cross great expanses in less time then anyone else he knew. Once there, he went to the town where his targets were supposed to be, and started asking around about them.

He slowly made his way to the Gambler's Corner from the information he gathered. Once there he was told that two females had come in, and gathered the belongings. One was the sister of a young blonde boy, the other was a black hair female who carried a pig with her. The boy was not with them, but they checked out, and left with the belongings of the boy. No one had seen the boy for almost a week now.

Jiraiya knew who the black haired person was right away, he only knew of one person who would be walking around with a pig in her arms.

_'So Tsunade and Shizune are here, perhaps they are in safe hands already.. Hehehe, maybe I can finally get some research done on those two, and maybe even Anko, none of them have yet to appear in one of my books sadly, but this might be my chance at last!'_

With that thought he asked the manager if he knew where they went to after leaving the Inn. The manager was more the happy to point him in the direction of the forest, all for a signed copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ from the famed creator Jiraiya.

With this news, he spared little time in heading into the woods after his ever elusive prey. With his skills, it took him very little time to find the camp, but knew not to expose himself too soon. He really didn't feel like one of Tsunade's famous beatings. So he waited.

The waiting paid off for him, as night came, and Shizune and the smaller blonde woman went to sleep. Tsunade had gathered her things and went towards a nearby river to bathe.

_'YES! Finally with this I can die and go to heaven. Which is a likely place for me to head if she finds me peeking.'_

So he sat and watched from a distance, using his telescope to watch as Tsunade stripped down and stepped into the river. He let his giggles slip out every so often, never thinking someone would actually hear him, without him hearing them first. That was his biggest mistake.

He had just got a nice glimpse of Tsunade when he heard something coming through the air towards him. He turned just in time to see a metal grenade fall in front of him, and blow up sending Sky Blue paint all over his hiding place.

The only thing he heard besides the sound made from this device was something saying "pervert" not to far from where he was now.

"NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My wonderful research!" bellowed the formerly white haired man. He then noticed something strange. During all of this he forgot just how loud he was, and his exact words when this first happened.

All of it came rushing back as a fist connected with his face sending him flying through, and leveling numerous trees and rocks.

"JIRAIYA!" shouted Tsunade as she rapidly wrapped a towel around herself and slammed her fist into her former team mate. After this she quickly got dressed, and stalked towards where she had sent him flying. She barely noticed the trees completely covered in blue paint as she went after him, intent to kill him for what he just did.

As she went in the direction he flew, she noticed something not to far ahead of her heading in that same direction, and barely caught a glimpse of a tanned back and a large scar down the middle of it.

_'Could he be awake already? Damn it, I thought Anko put the fear of Kami into him about being a pervert. Guess I will but the fear of Tsunade into him now.'_

She quickly gave chase, intent on giving her team mate and the boy a piece of her mind.

As she closed in she heard something unexpected, it sounded like a fight, even though it was one sided. She quickly made it to the clearing, and stopped when she saw the most unexpected thing ever.

Jiraiya had sky blue hair, every inch and strand was blue. His robes and skin, all blue, even his sandals.

The next thing she saw was a young blonde boy standing over a battered Jiraiya, with his fist raised to deliver several more punches down onto the prone Sannin. Looking at the scene, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Naruto froze in mid-punch when he heard someone laughing. He dropped Jiraiya down to the ground, and looked for the source of the laughter, quickly spotting the blonde woman across from him. Wasting little time, he reached into his pack and pulled out the _Haruno Pink_ paint bomb, and hurled it at the laughing woman.

Tsunade stopped her laughter as she saw the boy throw something at her, and quickly jumped back just as the bomb went off above her, coating her in bright pink paint.

She stood frozen at first, looking at the color all over her clothes and the clearing. She then raised her head to gaze at the one who did this.

"Why you no good little brat.. This is the thanks I get for helping you out? I hope you heal fast, because here comes a WORLD OF PAIN!" with this she ran across towards Naruto, who was frozen in place at the words of the woman.

Everything seemed to slow down for Tsunade as she noticed the boy's mouth to slowly start to move. Her fist was raised, and she was heading to send the boy flying. Then everything stopped as a soft voice was heard speaking for the first time in five years by anyone outside of Naruto's mind.

"Thank you" came the hoarse voice from the boy in front of her. She froze just as her fist was about to meet with the boys skull ready to send him flying.

"W-what did you just say?" came Tsunade's stuttered question as she looked down at Naruto.

Naruto looked up at her, and moved his mouth to speak again, only to stop, and raise a hand to his throat. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a nearby stick, from Jiraiya's flying lesson, and quickly scribbled something down on the dirt in front of him.

"_Thank you for healing me, and I'm sorry for the paint, I have something to clean it off in my other bag at the camp."_

Tsunade nodded to the blonde, and walked to pick up her blue team mate.

As they walked back to the camp Tsunade could see Naruto trying to speak, and often raising his hand to his throat.

"You know, you shouldn't put too much stress on your vocal cords so soon. Give it time, and you will be able to speak again." spoke Tsunade as they walked.

Naruto looked to her, and pondered her words.

_'I just can't wait to be able to talk again.. There are so many things that I want to say to so many people.. Anko-nee-chan, Ibiki-san, Iruka-sensei, Old man Hokage, Hinata-chan, Shikamaru, Choji.. Sasuke-teme, Sakura, Ino, Ayame-chan, Old man Ichiraku, Ohjiro-san.'_

"_**You need to take it easy though, Konoha wasn't built in a day you know. Some things just take a little time."**_

_'I-I will be talking normally by the time we get back to Konoha. Hehe, then everyone is going to regret calling me a mute!'_

Tsunade had noticed the far off look on his face as they walked, and could only guess that he was talking with Hikari. But she was still surprised when he stopped, and started to scribble another message out.

"_I know I should take it easy, but I have too much to say. So I promise I will be talking normally, and doing everything else by the time we get back to Fire country! No one is going to stop me from speaking ever again!"_

"Sure brat, and Ton-Ton can fly, and I can win the jackpot in this week's lottery."

Naruto glared at her, pissed that someone would underestimate him like that, and nearly insult him. He slowly clenched his fist. He picked his stick back up and wrote another message out to Tsunade.

"_HA! I have a better chance of winning the lottery then you do, Sannin my ass! Your other nickname suits you, Legendary Sucker!" _

Reading this Tsunade started to fume.

_'This brat thinks that I'm going to take lip from him.'_

She stopped there as she noticed he was scribbling another message out to her.

"_You better believe it Baa-chan!"_

"_**Calm down, getting angry with her, and fighting her will do nothing but hurt you. She didn't become one of the Legendary Sannin for no reason."**_

"Why you no good little brat! Wait till I get my hands on you!", Tsunade was about to drop Jiraiya when she noticed Naruto was no longer there.

After writing his last message Naruto had already taken off running as fast as he could, trying to create as much distance as possible. He glanced back only to see Tsunade 20 yards behind him, and gaining ground quickly.

Naruto jumped into some thick bushes and quickly used the Kitsune Illusion to hide from the rampaging blonde.

Tsunade saw where he went, and quickly followed. Once she made it through the bushes she stopped, she couldn't see Naruto anywhere.

_'There's no way he is faster then me, so he has to be hiding. So where would I hide if I was a brat? The trees, bushes, behind rocks? Damn I forgot this kid has lots of practice at hiding from people.'_

Her thoughts trailed off as she suddenly remembered something Anko had told her.

"Nice try kid, you have gotten really good with your Kitsune Illusion I see. Anko and Ibiki would be proud of you, but you forgot who you were dealing with!", as she finished Tsunade pulled the sleeve of her shirt up, raised her fist high above her head and brought it crashing down onto the ground.

Naruto was surprised when he felt a small earthquake behind him, but was thankful he took the time he had to move back towards the camp.

_'Whoa! Baa-chan is really strong.. Glad I didn't stay to joke around with her, or that would have really hurt if I was any where around there. Back to camp, and FOOD!'_

Naruto quickly made it to the camp, and noticed Anko, and the black haired woman and pig were now awake. Quickly running over to Anko he dropped the Kitsune Illusion right as he jumped towards her, arms wide as he went to tackle hug her.

Anko was wondering what all the noise was about when she noticed a blur coming towards her, and then saw it shimmer to reveal Naruto in the air coming towards her.

"Naruto! What did you do!" were the first words from her mouth as she saw the look on his face.

Landing with his arms around Anko's neck, he gave her a quick smile before letting go. Before he could answer an angry Tsunade came charging into the clearing colored pink, with a blue Jiraiya following close behind her.

"Damn you little brat! Get over here so I can hit you!" shouted Tsunade.

"You ruined my magnificent research! Do you have any idea how hard it is to see Tsunade-hime's beautiful body" shouted Jiraiya. He was going to say more before a sudden surge of chakra came from beside him.

"Eh.. Hehe Tsunade-hime! Nice to see you here.. Um how have you…"

That was as far as he got before he was face down in a crater that was at least 6 feet deep, and 4 feet wide.

Almost at the same time Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto all said the same thing, "PERVERT!".

Shizune and Anko turned to Naruto and realized that he had just spoken, and had one of the most attractive voices they had ever heard. It carried so many emotions in that single word, and seemed to tug on their hearts. Anko couldn't help but think one thing.

_'Damn this kid is going to be a heartbreaker when we get back, well at least I hope he has a chance now.'_

To be honest, she had never heard such an amusing and happy voice before. Combined with his smile, and goofy look, who couldn't help but adore him. That was about the time she realized that he had just spoken some of his first words with his voice for the first time in five years. She launched herself at him, and wrapped him in a hug. After nearly strangling him with the hug, she let him go to try to help Tsunade out.

"Give Tsunade-sama the salve for the paint, I think Jiraiya can stay that color till we get back to the village."

Naruto nodded, and walked to his bags to retrieve the item. Once he retrieved it, he tossed it to Tsunade, still afraid to get too close to her.

"Little no good brat.. I'll be damned if I am seen any where with hair like this.. Though I do like it over what you did to Jiraiya.", with that she walked off to wash her hair and clothes.

Shizune laughed at the perverted man and nodded to Naruto in approval for the act.

"Here I am coming to check on you two, and here I find that everything is just fine. Not only that, but I had the perfect research done for Tsunade-hime's part in my newest book, all to have it ruined by a brat."

While saying this he had already pulled a scroll from some where, and used it to summon a messenger bird. Once done, he wrote a quick message on a scroll, and sent it on it's way to the Hokage to let him know everything was fine.

"I'm sorry Jiraiya-sama, we ran into some trouble during the mission. Thankfully Shizune-chan, and Tsunade-sama came upon us, and offered to help heal our wounds, and other things."

With the last part she looked towards where Naruto was busy eating around the campfire, and brought her hand up to her throat to let Jiraiya know what she meant. Upon seeing this Jiraiya nodded in understanding.

"So the kid really had it bad back in the village huh? Seems he would still have it pretty bad right now if it wasn't for you and Ibiki. But from what I've heard he doesn't let it bother him that much, at least not on the outside.. I couldn't imagine how he is on the inside."

"He is full of surprises.. He will try to be friends with anyone, even if they hate him because of what he is. He doesn't hold many grudges with people, and if he does it's normally for a good reason. Hell, the kid hardly ever lets anything bother him.. Not even a hole through the chest.."

Anko paused for a second to wipe away a few tears as she remembered the fight that was days old.

"He just spoke his first words to me in five years, and we didn't think he would be able to talk for weeks. He is strong, and very kind. He can't hate the village for what they do or did. He is one hell of a kid to be honest, and he really changed me from what I was like before I meet him.

"That bastard Orochimaru really hurt me, enough so that I often thought about how I could just end the pain. Nothing came to mind except for a few things. Killing Orochimaru, taking my own life, or throwing myself headlong into the life of a Ninja. That is all that went through me at the time.

"Then I come across Ibiki taking Naruto to the hospital, and something changed in me. Since then, I have been an entirely different person. When I'm with him or Ibiki I can let my mask slip, and laugh, cry, joke, and be a normal person. Ibiki is the same way now as well, both of us have been touched by him in ways we never imagined."

Anko took another pause as she watched Naruto playing around with Shizune and Ton-Ton. By this time Tsunade had come over to where she and Jiraiya were sitting to listen in on the conversation.

"In school he has even changed some people. He's made friends with a Hyuga, Akimichi, and Nara. He even tried making friends with the last Uchiha, since he thought they had been through similar events in life. His teacher, Umino Iruka has also changed since he was around Naruto.

"From what I've heard from the Hokage, Iruka used to hate Naruto, since the Kyubi killed his parents in the attack. So when Naruto first joined, it was hard on him. But now he cares as much for him as Ibiki and myself. He even comes by on birthdays now to spend time with us. Hell, we trust him enough to leave Naruto with him when we are both away on missions.

"If I didn't know better, I would say Naruto had a bloodline of some kind. One that lets him change into the hearts of those that he is around. If he does have that kind of power, it would only be a short time before he becomes a Hokage. That's his dream, and he will not stop at anything to do it, or let anyone or anything get in his way. I wouldn't be surprised if he was talking more before we got back to the village."

Anko finished and looked over to where Naruto was playing with Ton-Ton, and Shizune. She turned to see the look on Tsunade's and Jiraiya's face only to see them with the same smile on their faces.

"You know Tsunade, he reminds me so much of him. From the top of his blonde head, to the bottom of his carefree heart. If I didn't know any better.."

"I know Jiraiya.. I think that is why I'm going back to the village for a while. This boy reminds me so much of Arashi, Nawaki, and Dan. I don't want to see what happened to them happen to him as well. I know I must go back to that village, not for myself, but for the memories of them."

"Anko my dear, it seems his power is at work again, never before had I thought she would return on her own. But she spends a few days with him, and look what we get. Sensei will be glad to have you back Tsunade-hime."

"Good, because we are going to head back as soon as the brat is done eating. Hopefully we don't run into any trouble. But I don't expect any trouble, they would have to be crazy to try to battle the five of us."

Jiraiya looked at her annoyed for reprimanding him like that. Tsunade sighed as she caught the look from him.

"Hey Brat! Pack your things up! You too Shizune! We are heading home now."

Naruto grinned and quickly packed Anko's and his things up and ran back over to the two Sannins, and his nee-chan. As he ran over, he took a look at Tsunade and remembered an idea from earlier.

Naruto walked in front of Anko, and once he was sure he had her attention just said one word to her.

"Lottery."

Anko was puzzled at first, then Tsunade spoke up to clarify what the young blonde was talking about.

"Your brat thinks he has a better chance of winning the lottery then I do. So I guess he wants to prove me wrong, or show how dumb he is."

At the last remark he let out a low growl towards Tsunade before he whipped out a kunai from his pouch. With the kunai he bent over to write out a message.

"_I bet you I will win the lottery tomorrow baa-chan!"_

Anko and Jiraiya snickered at the new nickname, while Tsunade's lip and left eye twitched in annoyance.

"You must be stupid if you think you could win the lottery that easily. I've been playing, and have yet to win it myself! So what makes you think a snot nosed kid like you will win?"

"_**She has a point you know. The odds of you winning are too great. So don't go running your mouth."**_

_'No, I will win the lottery, and shut the baa-chan up! I've always been lucky, now is just the time to see how lucky I can be.'_

"_**Just be ready for an "I told you so" when you don't win.**_

While the two were arguing, Anko pulled Jiraiya off to the side.

"Jiraiya I don't think she knows what she is getting into. Naruto-kun has a nasty lucky streak, one I've never seen before. It's one of the reasons why only Ibiki, Iruka, and myself have ever had a chance of tracking him when he really wants to hide. It might also be why he is still alive today."

"Heheh, then this could be fun to watch.", here Jiraiya turned back to the two blondes arguing. "Hey flat chest! Why not just let the boy get a lottery ticket, and find out? Just find something to wager, and be done with it already!"

Naruto nodded to the old man, and turned to Tsunade. He quickly scribbled another message onto the ground.

"_If I win, you um.. You have to train me and some friends till we become Genin!"_

"And if you lose? I really don't think you have anything worth my time. So you better make it REAL good, or no deal."

Naruto sat there for a few minutes thinking of things. Finally he put his trademark grin on his face as he wrote out his newest message.

"_IF you win, I will give you all the money in my bank account!"_

"Hahaha, you have got to be joking right? You probably wouldn't have enough money for me to play a slot machine.", Tsunade stopped as she noticed Anko shaking her head in disagreement.

"Naruto-kun has made a living for himself with his hobby. He has made several new tags, bombs and grenades that the Hokage has had made and sold to the ninja populace of Konoha. Last time I checked he had close to 50 million Ryo. The items are sold in shops all around the village, and some outside of the village."

The surprises just kept coming for the newcomers. One thought went through each of their minds at this latest tidbit of news.

_'How can a kid make that much money?'_

"Fine then brat, but don't come crying to me when you have to fork over all that money to me. If you do happen to win, then I will train you and your buddies. But I doubt think I will have to."

With that last bit settled they made their way to the nearest village. Once there they stopped for supplies, as well as a lottery ticket for Tsunade and Naruto. Despite Shizune's protest, Tsunade also spent the entire night at the local bars and casinos, wasting away her money, and coming up with ways to use Naruto's.

The next morning Shizune, and Jiraiya left early, hoping to get a peek at the latest numbers for the lottery. Shizune, having spent enough time with Tsunade, had her numbers memorized, and knew Tsunade had lost the second she saw the latest ones.

Neither one knew Naruto's numbers, so they had to bring the slip back to the Inn that they were staying in. Naruto sat in his bed looking up at the ceiling, all the while wondering if his bet was worth doing after all.

On one side, if he won, he and some of his friends could be trained by one of the Legendary Sannin, well worth the risks to him.

The other hand, he could lose all of his money that he built up over the last two years. Granted with his devices, it wouldn't take long to make more money, but till then he could be bankrupt.

"_**I told you not to be too hasty. You really should listen to your older sisters. It would be a miracle though if you won, and well worth it I think. So get up, and find out how good your luck really is."**_

Naruto nodded to himself, and her before speaking out loud, "Fine.".

Naruto crawled out of bed, and quickly changed into some loose orange shorts that went to his knees. The shorts came complete with draw strings at the knees and waist, and pockets on the legs, and the backside. With this he pulled on a black t-shirt, that had the swirl of his own design, one that has come to be known has his trademark on his grenades, bombs, and tags, as well as most of his clothes.

Sighing to himself, he pulled on his sandals, these were dark blue, and went up to his ankles, and walked out of the room he was staying in with Jiraiya.

As he walked out he came across Shizune and Jiraiya coming in his direction, so he quickly waved to them, and flashed a smile in greeting.

"Hehe, ready to see if you won or lost already eh? Well here are the numbers kid, if it makes you feel any better Tsunade didn't win the lottery.", stated Jiraiya as he walked up to, and handed Naruto the slip with the latest numbers on it.

Naruto quickly grabbed the slip away from Jiraiya and started to look over the numbers. Slowly his face froze in disbelief as he stared at the numbers he was looking at. Some where in the back of his mind he could swear he heard Hikari laughing madly at the sight in front of him.

"It's alright Naruto-kun, I don't think anyone here was expecting you to win. Perhaps Tsunade-sensei will understand and forget about the bet.", said Shizune as she tried to comfort the boy.

Naruto was shaken out of his stupor by her words as he quickly shook his head at her words. He raised his head up for both to see.

When Naruto raised his face up for them to see the smile on his face. Naruto's eyes were scrunched up as his smile quickly grew more and more. Then he let out a small laugh as he jumped up, and started to dance around Shizune and Jiraiya.

Both Shizune and Jiraiya were surprised at the boys antics, and then shocked by what it could mean. Both found it VERY hard to believe that he could have possibly done what he claimed, and what his actions were saying he did do.

"Naruto, does this mean what I think it means?", asked the shell-shocked Jiraiya.

Naruto quickly spun towards him nodding his head and reaching into his pocket for his stub. Once he fished it out he showed it to Jiraiya and Shizune. Both of them stood still as their mouths hit the floor, too shocked to bother with picking them up.

"What is with all the noise out here! Shizune please tell me you got the numbers!", bellowed a voice from the room they were standing next to. This was all that was needed to bring Shizune back to her senses, and send Jiraiya rolling on the floor in laughter.

"Tsunade-sensei.. Um, I have the numbers, but you might want to come outside."

"Fine fine, just tell that bastard Jiraiya to quit his laughing. If he keeps it up I'm going to have to redecorate this lovely Inn, using his body as the wrecking ball! Gah, why did I have to stay out late last night drinking."

Naruto just smiled and continued his dance, while Jiraiya laughed harder. Shizune was worried, since she had a feeling Tsunade would not take this well.

All of the noise also woke up Anko, who stepped out of her room to see what the commotion was all about. She got her answer when she noticed Naruto dancing around the hallway. All she could do at the sights in the hall was just grin, as she knew his lucky streak struck again.

Finally after several minutes of curses about loud mouthed perverts, and noisy brats, Tsunade finally walked out of her room, and into disbelief.

First thing she noticed was a dancing blonde, tan, black and orange blur. Next thing she could see was her former team mate rolling on the floor in laughter.

"Jiraiya, what the hell is so funny!"

Instead of an answer from him, Naruto walked up to her with two slips of paper, and showed them to her. Tsunade stared at the slips before she realized what they were. One was a stub for a lottery ticket, bought yesterday. The other was the numbers printed out for this weeks lottery. Each slip had matching numbers:

10 24 3 20 12 27

The numbers for his, Anko's, Ibiki's and Hinata's birthdays, the only things that came to mind when he was asked for numbers the night before. Anko had even made a point to pick on Naruto for knowing Hinata's birthday.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

Naruto, Anko and Tsunade were walking around the small village to find a place that sold lottery tickets, so Anko asked Naruto a natural question.

"So Naruto-kun, you want to just get random numbers, or do you have some you would like to pick?"

Naruto stopped, and started to think about that for a few minutes. Of course this made everyone else stop, each wondering what he would do. But in Tsunade's case, annoyed that he didn't have an idea already.

_'Hmm, what should I pick, I don't want random numbers.. Birthdays, I'll just use birthday numbers. Let's see, mine is 10/10, Nee-chan's is 10/24, Aniki's is 3/20. I can't use the same number twice, so all I have is 10, 24, 3, and 20. I need two more numbers..'_

Here Naruto was stumped, he couldn't come up with another set of numbers to use. So he stood there in the street scratching his chin trying to figure out what to do. It was then that Hikari took the chance to start working on one of her plans for Naruto.

Hikari gently pushed the suggestion of Hinata's birthday into his mind, December 27th. She could tell how Hinata liked Naruto, and she knew in some way he liked her as well, he just didn't know it yet.

_'Yeah! Hinata-chan's birthday! 12/27!' _

After that he quickly wrote out the numbers on a piece of paper, along with why he selected them. Needless to say when Anko saw the part about Hinata she started to have some gears click in her head.

"OH! Does my little Otouto have a crush on Hinata-chan! And here I thought you liked Sakura, since she is so much like your nee-chan. But I can't blame you for having good taste with a Hyuga! Now you will be even richer!"

Naruto started to blush at the comments, and turned away to try to hide it from those present. This only fueled the laughter of Anko, Tsunade and Shizune.

* * *

_**Present**_

Tsunade looked down at Naruto, who was grinning like a fool, and scratching the back of his head. She couldn't help but be a little annoyed at the boy.

_'Damn this brat.. But I suppose, being burdened with the hate of the village, something good has to happen to him every so often.'_

"Quit dancing, and get packed up.. Once we get back and I meet your buddies, and your girlfriend, we will start the training.", she turned to leave, but stopped as she came close to Jiraiya. "So, you think this is funny? Let me give you something funny!", with that last declaration Tsunade raised her leg up in the air, and brought it plunging down towards Jiraiya's stomach.

Jiraiya noticed the kick coming immediately, and quickly rolled out for under the attack. An attack that would have sent him into the hospital for weeks. He was glad he got out of the way once he noticed the loud crash and the splinters flying all around him.

"Yeah.. I think it's time for us to go folks, before they make us pay for these damages.". Anko stated this quickly as she ran into her room and grabbed her things. This was followed by everyone else, and then the small group jumped out of the window at the end of the hall to continue the journey home.

* * *

**Konoha**

_'Gah, it has been almost five weeks since that baka Naruto has been in class. No one wants to tell us anything about where he is, or what he is doing. No one has seen him any where in that time either. It's almost as if he just vanished.. Just like some of us wished he would do.'_

Those were the thoughts of Ino as she once again joined Hinata, Choji, and Shikamaru to where they said Naruto lived. She didn't know why, but being around the three had changed her views on Naruto. She heard of the stories about their friendship, and things that they had seen Naruto go through.

Some of the stories were never pretty, and often involved Naruto being out numbered 6 to 1, or more. She was shocked to believe that half the time it wasn't just other students or kids doing this. They had seen adults attacking Naruto, or throwing insults at him. Each time he either fought to defend himself, ran away from the fights, or just ignored what the people said.

The more she heard about these things, the more she realized she knew very little about him. All she knew about him to start with was he had a sister, who didn't look like she was related, and the same for his brother. She knew their names, but that was it, other then Naruto liked to pull pranks on people. Ino was kind of ashamed of herself for not knowing some of the other things about Naruto.

So here she was walking with them through the woods, and to some place she never knew existed until recently. The house of Naruto, and his brother and sister.

When she got to the house, she was surprised to see the size, and the beauty of it. It was hardly the size one of the Uchiha houses, or the Hyuga's, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in beauty. All around the house she could see the most amazing flowers, roses, carnations, sunflowers, dandelions, jasmine, and other flowers of all shapes and sizes. She was sure she saw some flowers that she'd never heard of or seen before.

The number of flowers present would put her families shop to shame.

_'Mental note, ask Naruto if I could look around the gardens. Also see if I can take some of these to the shop to sell, or show my parents.'_

She noticed the front of the house, and the small covered path with the swirl symbol that Naruto always had on. Above that there was what looked like a balcony, with potted plants, and a hammock of all things Along with this balcony were two others the same size, but flanking the one with the hammock. They had the same look, but it was almost certain they didn't have the same feel as the central one.

"Wow, are you guys sure Naruto lives here? I mean sure he lives with two Special Jonins, but this looks like more then they could afford."

"Yeah I know Ino, but we have seen his brother, Ibiki going in and all, and no one else. Hinata here has even followed Naruto here before.", stated the lazy Nara, causing Hinata's cheeks to turn red as a tomato.

"Whoa, Hinata, I didn't know you were like that."

"It's not like that.. I followed him after he was in a fight to make sure he was okay…", stuttered the Hyuga heiress while looking down at the ground, cheeks a blaze.

"Ah, don't worry Hinata, you should see what some of us do with Sasuke-kun. A few of the crazy ones have broken into his place to try to take some of his clothes.. But dang, Naruto has one nice house. I would say it's better then the Uchiha sector and the Hyuga compound, no offense Hinata, but I love the flowers."

"I like them too.. They are relaxing at times..", whispered Hinata.

"Ok enough with the troublesome talk. Let's see if we can find anything else out today. Hokage-sama still will not tell us anything, and the same with Iruka-sensei. Let's try Ibiki-san again, and head back." ,grumbled Shikamaru.

With that they walked up to the door, and it the small bell mounted on the wall. The four stood there for the next five minutes, waiting for someone to come answer the door. But once again, like many of their other visits, no one came to answer.

"Tch, man, is anyone ever home? I'd like to stay and wait guys, but it's almost time for my first dinner, so I got to get going. Maybe we will have better luck tomorrow with the Hokage again.."

_'Naruto-kun, I hope you are okay.'_

With that the group once again left the house, with more questions they then came to it with. Each one oblivious to the fact they were being watched by a scarred figure from a top of the structure.

_'Naruto, I wish you would get your butt back here, you have your friends worried to death about you. Thankfully though, they have someone to still be worried about. I wish you two would be more careful, and avoid fights instead of picking them.'_

* * *

_**The Odyssey**_**, Merchant ship**

Naruto never imagined the trouble he would get into by making the bet with Tsunade, if he did, he might have decided against it.

Tsunade had heard Naruto had good chakra control, but when she asked him to do some simple exercises, she was very disappointed. So she started him on some basic control techniques again, tree walking, water walking was a little more difficult, and meditation.

He quickly got the hang of tree walking again, and meditation was just as easy. Water walking took him some time to master once again, but did it before they made it to the port. Most of the time he was told to do the exercises till he was low on Chakra.

Little did Tsunade and Jiraiya know how much chakra he really had. There were many days where he was forced to continue all night long, and still ready to travel in the morning.

Shizune, Tsunade and Jiraiya were surprised to see that at the time, and Anko just laughed at them. None of them thought that he could have that much stamina, let alone control his chakra so well so quickly. That was about the time that Anko told them how hard Naruto had worked to gain near perfect control because of his previous injury. It was also when Naruto let them know small that he was using small amounts of Hikari's Chakra, and working on molding, and using it.

Each of the three were surprised that he could think of such a thing, but understood how it was possible, and how important it would be

So in an effort to work Naruto to the bone, Tsunade managed to talk Jiraiya to help him in Taijutsu, and some Ninjutsu. In Taijutsu Naruto was easily beaten by the Toad Sannin day in and day out. But both of his skills showed remarkable improvement. Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune were surprised at his progress, Anko just laughed it off as his determination to become Hokage.

Of course being on a ship in the middle of the ocean limited the Ninjutsu practice down to a few less powerful ones. Jiraiya was however able to teach him some decent water and wind Jutsus while out on the ocean. Some were rather powerful, and took him some time to learn to do properly. These all added to Naruto's limited supply of offensive Jutsus, and also gave him a few defensive ones just in case.

While on the road, at night when sleeping or when meditating, Naruto would practice his new Taijutsu forms with Hikari. Slowly getting better, and never showing the form to anyone during his sparring matches.

Currently Naruto was sparring with Jiraiya, and becoming very frustrated at never being able to land a single punch on the Sannin. Oh how he wished he could use and practice the Fox Style right now.

"Kuso!" growled Naruto as he raised his left hand in order to prepare for an attack, or to defend. As he raised his hand up, he suddenly saw something he had forgotten over the years, as he was so used to wearing them. His wrist "weights", which reminded him of his ankle "weights".

Since he had gotten them at the age of five, he had started to wear them every where he went. This was fairly easy since they were small, and not as bulky as most other weight systems he had seen. Add to the fact he had taken to wearing long sleeve clothing, and long pants, it made it easy to forget about them, even with the sudden changes in his weight. The changes in weight he normally thought it was just him being tired from training, or not enough sleep the previous days.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh, and yet be thankful he was out of long sleeved shirts to wear for the time being. Once he realized all of this he raised his head up and grinned at Jiraiya, which unnerved the white haired man to no end.

"What's so funny! I'm about to clean the floor with you again, and you still have yet to place a single finger on me! So stop smiling, and take this seriously for once."

Naruto suddenly started to laugh at the words from the man.

"I have been serious! But I just remembered something I've forgotten about, and I think it will change the fight some."

Besides his skills, his ability to speak had also started to improve, now he could speak longer sentences, and for a greater length of time. The only time he had problems is if he raised his voice too much, so most things came out as a whisper, or like casual conversation.

"Yeah yeah, you said that the last five times too, what could be so different this time?"

"I've been fighting with my weights on all of this time, and I have no idea how heavy they are."

The fact he delivered this statement calmly, and with a straight face floored Jiraiya, and Tsunade. They both thought the same thing.

_'How could you forget about having weights on!'_

Anko on the other hand suddenly remembered the weights herself, so used to seeing him with them, and in clothing that normally covered them up. Then she thought about the times that some days he would suddenly be dragging himself around, at the time she passed it off as him being lazy, or tired from training. But now, she was shocked she had forgotten something so obvious.

_'Just how fast and how strong have you become.'_

Naruto grinned at the looks he was getting from the members of the group. Then he decided to test just how much he had progressed with his weights.

_'Nee-chan, could you release the jutsu on the weights for this one time? Just for a few minutes? PLEASE!'_

Hikari knew how much weight he had, but she was also clueless about how far he had gotten speed and power wise. So she decided to cure her own curiosity.

_**"Of course Otouto, I'm curious as well. Just remember, we can't damage the ship, wouldn't do to have it sink in the middle of the Ocean now would it?"**_

With that thought she released the seals. Almost immediately Naruto felt as if a great burden had been lifted off of him. He flexed his hands and arms gently, and stretched his legs.

To those watching him, he also looked like a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He now stood straighter, and from his stretches looked to be much lighter on his feet. Jiraiya was wondering just how much the boy actually had on, and when and how he released them.

"Okay, the weight jutsu/seal is off, and I'm ready to kick perverted butt!", was all Naruto said before he seemed to vanish from everyone's eyes. Jiraiya and Tsunade were barely able to see any of his movements.

Jiraiya suddenly found himself in a bad spot, he could barely see where the young blonde was, let alone imagine if he could match the power he would have. Right now Naruto was running circles around him, and still speeding up. Almost all anyone could see was a blur, and none could hear his feet as he circled the Toad Sannin.

_'Kuso! This isn't good, I have a very bad feeling about this. With that weight of he is almost as fast as Arashi was at that age.'_

Jiraiya was brought out of his thoughts rather forcefully as a gust of wind went by, and he found himself flying through the air. After a few seconds the pain in his abdomen started to register, and then he noticed vaguely that he was having a hard time breathing, as the air was just knocked out of him.

_'Damn….I don't think Tsunade-hime hits that hard.. Wait, where is the ship?'_

He looked forward and down and noticed he was sailing over the side of the ship, and out into the deep blue waters of the sea.

Everyone was in shock on the deck of the boat. One second Jiraiya was standing there perfectly fine, the next he was sent sailing, and Naruto was standing in his place with a fist where Jiraiya's stomach would have been. Then they all noticed a red and white projectile going over the side of the ship.

Acting on impulse, Tsunade quickly grabbed a rope and threw it to her flying team mate hoping to catch him before he hit the water below. All the while Naruto stood frozen in the same position, amazed at what he had just done.

Jiraiya saw the rope coming, and grabbed on to it for dear life, hoping he wouldn't have to test how nice some sea creatures truly were. After grabbing a hold, he braced for the shock that was sure to come. The shock of Tsunade pulling on the rope, and bringing him back to the relative safety of the ship.

Once on, he doubled over in pain, the rush of the situation fading from his body. Tsunade quickly ran over to check him over, relieved to see that there were no serious injuries. Each person who knew Naruto all turned to the young blonde who was still in the same position as he was since the blow to Jiraiya. All Naruto could do was look sheepish, and embarrassed. He did however manage to say one word that made sweat drops suddenly appear on the back of everyone's head present.

"Wow."

"_**I couldn't agree more. I didn't think you would be that fast, let alone have that kind of power. I think it best we keep this to ourselves from now on, or when training with these four."**_

_'Yeah.. Go ahead and put the jutsu back on.. I could so kick Sasuke-teme's ass like this though.'_

"Hehe, sorry?", said a grinning Naruto as he walked over to Jiraiya, and offered him a hand to help him stand back up.

"Damn brat.. Keep those weights on from now on. That can be one hell of a trump card in a fight. But be careful with who you let know about it, you never know when it might have to be used against a fellow Ninja who turned into a Nukenin on you. Believe me, Tsunade-hime and I know from experience."

Naruto nodded in understanding, after all he had been told the same thing by Hikari more then once. He didn't like having to do it, but he knew the wisdom of it from the stories he had heard from Tsunade, Anko, Ibiki, and many others.

"Naruto-kun, how exactly do those weights you have work? They look almost like normal sweat bands.", asked a confused Shizune.

"Um, from what I remember when I got them from Hikari-nee-chan, they cast something like a Genjutsu on my body, making it think it is heavier. Then when I need to, or when Nee-chan feels like it, she can increase the weight, or release the weight. I had gotten so used to it, that I forgot about them. Mostly because of my clothing and I wear them every where I go. I don't think they could be copied though, she said that the seals were special, and only worked with demonic chakra."

Not many of them were surprised, no in fact they were just astonished at how effective such a thing could be. What Naruto had was probably far superior to any classic weight training that a person could put themselves through. Not only that, but it would be far more effective in battle.

In a battle Naruto would not have to worry about making his opponent give him a chance to remove his weights. They could just easily be removed with basic commands from the sound of things.

"But damned if you don't pack a punch stronger then Hime's over here. Anyone would be in serious trouble if you ever learned to use chakra like her…."

Jiraiya started to bang his head on the deck of the ship. He noticed the looks that Anko, Tsunade and Naruto were all getting.

_'I pity anyone who gets this boy pissed. They would end up as smears on his fist, or what ever object they fly into.'_

"Why Jiraiya, that would have to be the best idea you've ever come up with. Naruto-kun has great control already, and an immense supply of chakra. I think you may have just created a monster my friend."

Naruto was nodding in agreement. He had seen the power Tsunade had, and would love to be able to do things like that. But typical Naruto, he spoke without thinking things through.

"Finally Baa-chan can be useful for something besides medical jutsus.", almost as soon as those words left his mouth, he began to regret it. He could fill the anger rolling off of Tsunade.

"Sorry, I'm not a healer, more a fighter.. But I might know some people in the Academy who would love to learn from you. One is Hinata-chan! She's great, she has some creams and salves that really help me heal my cuts and stuff up from all my fights. I have some right here if you want to see it."

Naruto quickly made this statement and ran over to his pack to get the salve out for Tsunade. Once he did he quickly presented it to her.

Tsunade calmly took the container from him, still glaring daggers at him for his comment. As she opened the container, she ran a finger through it, and did a quick check to see how it was made.

_'Hm, not that bad, it seems this Hyuga has a knack for medical salves and creams. This would heal up, as well as disinfect most minor injuries. For major ones it would probably help stop blood from flowing out long enough to get proper medical treatment. Honestly, this would be perfect for bandages and most field medic packs. This girl might just make a good apprentice when she gets older.'_

"Not bad, I'm surprised someone your age could make something this good. She must truly like you to put this much effort into her work." Tsunade stopped as she saw Naruto starting to blush, embarrassed at the statement.

"She and I are just friends, so it's nothing like that. She's a really nice person, and worries about all of her friends. Besides, I'm not sure she likes me as a friend. When I try to talk to her she always looks away, and stutters like she is afraid of me. She always turns red too when ever I try to give her a compliment or something, almost like she is getting mad at me." trailed off Naruto as he hung his head.

"Hehe, Brat, I don't think she hates you if she is doing those things. Boy, maybe you should read my books you might learn a few things fro.." Jiraiya was cut off here as Anko and Tsunade both introduced him to the deck of the ship with force.

"Don't listen to that old pervert Naruto-kun. But he is right about one thing, I doubt she hates you. Some girls are just like that around certain boys. If you think about it, doesn't she do the same thing that you did when Anko-chan was teasing you about her?", calmlyasked Shizune as she walked over to Naruto.

_'Wait.. I did that because I was embarrassed at what she said.. Could Hinata be embarrassed when I give her compliments? I thought that they were good things.'_

"But I thought compliments were good? Why would she be embarrassed?"

"Well, I'm no expert on this, but it could because someone she really likes is giving her the compliments.", stated Anko as she walked up to the little group.

"Oh. OH! Like when Iruka-sensei acts around you Nee-chan? He blushes sometimes, and has a hard time looking at you sometimes when you come to visit. But I know he only does that because he likes you…", here Naruto trailed off as he suddenly realized what everyone was pointing out to him.

Once Naruto realized this, his brain promptly shut down from the overload. In the back of his mind he knew for sure he heard Hikari laughing, and if he looked she was probably rolling around in the grove holding her stomach from it. HE did how ever manage to hear a few things.

Tsunade, Anko and Shizune all saw the stunned look on Naruto face as the information finally sunk into his head. But they didn't expect what happened next. Naruto suddenly started to fall forward as he fainted from the revelation.

Shizune being the closest one to him, caught him before he managed to hit the ground. All three women had to laugh at the shade of red on Naruto's cheeks.

"Well, looks like he figured it out. Who knows maybe he feels the same way, he wouldn't react like this if he didn't at least feel something more then friendship towards her. If I remember correctly they have played together the last five years, and become very good friends.", said Anko as she picked Naruto up to take him down to their room.

"We should let him get some sleep, we are almost back to Fire Country. From there it should only be a few days back to Konoha. Sadly I have some news I need to let you and Anko in on. Sensei knows this information already, as does Ibiki. I feel that you both should also hear this, as it could mean the life or death of Naruto."

Jiraiya paused here to take in the looks of the three women in the room with him. Anko had taken on a serious expression, much like she normally did when they spoke of Orochimaru. Tsunade had the same look, except it could probably freeze water, she was deadly serious now. Shizune on the other hand was shocked, mostly because she could not believe that of all the people, Naruto would have to fight against something else in his life.

"First, we should head to your room Tsunade, no need in letting him know about this right now. The best we can do is prepare him to protect himself and those around him. With the rate he soaks up what I teach him, or show him, he is fairly skilled in Ninjutsu. His Taijutsu is improving greatly as well. Genjutsu might be a problem, but I don't think he will be bothered too much by it."

As Jiraiya was talking they had walked out of Naruto's, and to the room Tsunade shared with Anko and Shizune. Once there Jiraiya locked the door, and made sure to put up a special jutsu, one to prevent sound from escaping the room.

"Let's hear it then Jiraiya, I know I'm not going to like this news, but I need to know what to expect.", spoke Tsunade after Jiraiya was done securing the room.

"Well, as you know after Orochimaru left the Leaf, I tried to follow, and gather information about his dealings. This is what lead me to the newest information from my spy network. Now before I continue, let me just ask that you let me go on, and hold all questions till I am done. Agreed?"

Jiraiya looked around the room, and got nods of confirmation from all three women.

"Good. Now, when Orochimaru left the Leaf, he knew that he would have trouble on his hands if me or you came looking for him. So he joined up with a group of Nukenin, all of which is comprised of at least A-Class Nukenins. So each member is either ranked as A-class or higher, and worked together. The name of this group is Akatsuki. They all tend to travel in pairs, and wearing black cloaks, with red clouds.

"At first Orochimaru joined the group for protection, it was not until later that he decided to use it to assist him in his quest of learning all of the Jutsus of the world. This came when the group turned to look at the Leaf village. They at first started looking here in search of one of the Biju, or Tailed Beasts. So obviously they have an interest in Naruto, what that interest is I do not know. I have yet to find out why they want the Biju, but they have a strong interest in them. So we need to keep on eye on Naruto at all times.

"Thankfully though, right now Orochimaru is no longer part of the Akatsuki. He left the group after they found out about his actions towards Naruto. Had he not left, they would have killed him the first chance they were given. They do not take things lightly when it comes to one of their own members pursuing their own goals, more so when it will interfere with the goals of the group."

Jiraiya paused for a second before he continued with another part of his story.

"Orochimaru when assisting in research of the Biju decided to continue his ambition of learning all Jutsus, this would normally take more then a normal lifetime for someone. However, he found ways around this problem. The first is obvious, live forever, which is easier said then done. Which lead him to begin work on an immortality jutsu, which would allow him to bring his spirit into the body of another person. This jutsu has a limited effect, and can only be used every three years. In that time the body he takes control of begins to reject him, and so he must change to a new one before that time is up.

"His next option was to found a body that could allow him to live forever. As we all know there is very little that is capable of even trying that. The only thing that comes to my mind is the body of a Jinchuuriki, or the bodies of those with a tailed beast sealed within. For his goal though he could not help but be anything except ambitious, and set out to make the Kyubi host his vessel some where down the road. This may be why he has taken some actions towards Naruto, such as the attack five years ago. I wasn't sure about it before, but learning of the poison Tsunade found, only he could be the person responsible.

"This could just be a guess though. He could just have been trying to limit Naruto, so that he could be an easy catch for the Akatsuki. Making Naruto mute would make him an easy target, since he would be unable to call for help. But seeing how this plan failed, he moved onto another subject.

"After failing to be able to render Naruto useless, and defenseless, his eyes turned towards the Uchiha clan and the Sharingan. As well all know, the Sharingan is capable of coping any Jutsu used in front of it. So with this Orochimaru's would become child's play, and allow him to accomplish his goal in no time. But with the clan's destruction he only has to people to select from,. Itachi, or Sasuke. I can tell you right now Itachi is out of the question, leaving only Sasuke. So I would not be surprised if he made a move on Sasuke in the near future. From what I have heard though, he just changed bodies, so we might not have to worry about it for 3 more years, and after Sasuke graduates."

Jiraiya once again stopped, and looked like he was trying to catch his breath. Never before had he spoken so much all at one time, at least when it did not involve his work or "research". After several minutes of silence, Anko was the first to speak up, and did so with barely restrained fury.

"Let him try setting foot into this village again. When I see him, he will not live to see another day." Anko was seething at the information they were just given. Not only was some strange group after Naruto, but now Orochimaru could still be after him, all just to learn all the world's Jutsus.

"Anko my dear, I don't think you know what is going on. Orochimaru has yet to set foot into the village after he left it. You see, there is a group inside of the village that is very loyal to his cause, all because he promised to destroy the Kyubi. That notion alone makes majority of the village a potential threat. After all who do you think drives them to attack Naruto all of the time. They have taken every chance possible to try to attack him. All for the purpose of killing him, or rendering him susceptible to Orochimaru."

"So, you mean to say Jiraiya, that not only do we have to protect Naruto from the Akatsuki, and Orochimaru, but also the village he calls home, and wants to protect? Damn it! Why does this kid have such rotten luck when it comes to life, but great luck when it comes to games." Of course now it was Tsunade's turn to seethe at the information. She couldn't stand hearing the news her perverted friend brought.

"Why.. He is just a child, who had a burden placed on him for unknown reasons. Yet now he has to live his life looking over his shoulder, and all around him. For what? Just so his own village doesn't kill him? Or his body taken over by some snake? Or some mysterious group takes him for unknown reasons? Not to mention what ever enemies he happens to make on his own. This kid is going to have to grow to a power that surpasses the Fourth if we hope for him to live for long." Tsunade paused as she though over everything once again.

"Until that time though, he is going to need us to watch over him. That means that I will be staying in that damn place longer then I would have liked. The same goes for you Jiraiya!" Shouted Tsunade as she made up the minds for everyone in the room.

Quickly backing away for fear of his life Jiraiya had only one thing to say, "I wouldn't dream of leaving him alone Tsunade.. I do agree with what you stated, but I am also needed to go around and gather information from my spy network. So I won't be there as often as you can.. But I can leave scrolls and details for some of his training with you. I won't be giving him anything too advanced, since those idiots in the village might not take too kindly to him knowing such things.."

"Out of curiosity Jiraiya, what Ninjutsu skills have you taught him so far?", asked Anko, since she would be more then likely the one to answer any questions regarding the teachings.

"Hm, well seeing how we are limited to what I could teach him out here, I stuck mostly with Futon and Suiton techniques. He seems to take to these fairly quickly, and might have something to do with the legends of Kyubi's power. So I am interested to see how he will be with Doton and Katon jutsus.", here he paused as he rested him chin on his hand, as if in some deep thought process.

"As for the skills I taught him, he knows **Mizu Bushin, Futon: Daitoppa, Kiri Gakure,**", Jiraiya paused as he noticed Anko flinch at this Jutsu and the **Mizu Bushin**. "Lets see, oh yes, he also has learned **Suiton: Bakusui Shoha, Suijinheki, Suishoha, **and **Suigadan.** Those are all the Suiton I would teach him on a ship. I also taught him **Hari Jizo**, but his is not as effective as mine due to his short hair. But should he grow it out a little, it should be enough since he really isn't that tall right now. Once we get back to the Village, I would have no problem teaching him more powerful ones."

"Great, you continue that, and I will start teaching him my style of fighting. This combined with what ever he picks up from Anko, Ibiki and Hikari should make him more then able to protect himself when the time comes. I may also force the brat to learn a few basic Medical Jutsus for his own safety."

Everyone in the room just nodded, not willing to run the risk of upsetting Tsunade more then she already was.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to Naruto's room, and keep on eye on him. I have a feeling he will have a number of questions about the little talk earlier. I would hate to have him learn about those things from Jiraiya-sama…"

Anko said the last part with barely constrained anger towards the self proclaimed Mega-pervert. When greeted with nods from all present, she left the room to head back towards Naruto's and her own room. On the way she happened to pass a calendar kept on the ship and noticed something she had completely forgotten about.

"KAMI! His birthday is in a week! I had completely forgotten about it. Geez, some big sister I am. I hope we can make it back in time, and just pray that Ibiki has everything ready for us."

She quickly went into Naruto's room and sat by his bed as he continued to sleep the day away in bliss.

* * *

**Konoha**

Ibiki stopped as a rather powerful sneeze nearly forced him from his feet.

Currently said Jonin was on his way to gather a few things and invite a few special people to the special occasion happening a week from now. He had thought long and hard about the latter, and decided that it would be good to have something special for Naruto on this birthday, so he set out to accomplish this goal.

"I just hope they can make it, I know it would really mean a lot to Naruto." calmly said Ibiki to himself before he continued his quest. Currently he was just down the road from the Akimichi house, and heading towards the rather large place. Once there he gave a few hard, loud knocks on the door, and waited for someone to answer. He didn't have to wait long however as a large man with red hair and head of the Akimichi clan, Akimichi Choza.

"Ibiki-san? To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? I hope it doesn't have anything to do with work?", Ibiki couldn't help but offer a small smile at the jolly man's nature and question. As long as he had known Choza, he was always pleasant, and only angered when his family, village or weight was involved.

"No Choza, I am here on more pleasant issues. You see my Otouto has a birthday coming up next week, and I remembered him mentioning your son, Choji, as a good friend. I was hoping he could come, since it would mean a lot to Naruto to finally spend a birthday with his friends."

"Ah yes, I don't know how many times I have had to dodge questions about Naruto lately. I hope all is well with him and Anko-san. But I think Choji would love to come to the party, more so once he gets a taste of your cooking. We weren't going to do much that day, just go to that damned festival. But I'm sure I can let Choji enjoy the day with Naruto for once. Just let me know the time and place, and I will pass it on."

Ibiki nodded, Choza was one of the few members of the village who saw Naruto as he truly was, a hero who has sacrificed a great deal in his short life. He could always count on Choza to be there when needed.

"Thanks Choza, you have no idea how much this will mean to Naruto. It will be his first time celebrating with his friends. I'll send you the time and all once I know how many will be able to go for sure. But thanks for letting Choji go, I will be sure to whip up some of my best BBQ, since I know how much he loves BBQ."

With that Choza and Ibiki both exchanged goodbyes as Ibiki continued on down the road, and towards the part of town that the Nara's lived in.

_'Well, I'm glad it was Choza I ran into, and not his wife, knowing her should would have told me no. Now for Shikaku and Yoshino, which I am glad have enjoyed Naruto's influence on their son. I wouldn't be surprised if he helped Naruto plan some of these pranks, and some of his newest little devices.'_

Several hours later, and with a few less headaches then predicted, Ibiki was now making his last stop of the day, the Hyuga mansion. So far he had great luck with the Yamanakas, Naras, Higarashis, Akimichis, Iruka, and the Hokage all who he knew liked Naruto, and saw him as a regular boy, and not the Kyubi. But now he faced his greatest task, Hyuga Hiashi.

_'Some reason I feel like I am about to walk into the lion's den and kick the male lion right in the stomach.'_

Sighing as this thought came, he walked up to the main gates, and was meet by two of the Hyuga Branch family members.

"Morino-san, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?", calmly asked one of the guards. The guards all looked the same to Ibiki, more so since many, if not all tend to be part of the Branch house.

"Eh, well, more of a personal visit then anything. I was hoping to speak with Hyuga-sama. I had a few questions I wanted to ask him if he was in."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama is in, but he may be busy with his daughter's training, I will see if he has time for your questions.", Responded the second guard, and with a quick bow he was gone. Ibiki could only assume it was in search of Hiashi.

While waiting Ibiki leaned against the wall, thinking about how to go through this next conversation with Hiashi. There wasn't much Ibiki could hope for, the only thing he had for him was that at one point in time Hiashi had held no aggression or grudge towards Naruto. Sadly, not long after his wife had passed away, his views changed, as did the man himself.

Hiashi had become cold hearted, and fairly cruel to his eldest daughter Hinata as she grew. Ibiki had heard from the some Chunins who walked Hinata to school when she was younger, that Hiashi tended to try to degrade her. He would call her weak, and a pitiful heiress. Ibiki himself couldn't count how many times he had heard Hiashi say something similar to that.

Ibiki did know that he had to restrain Naruto on several occasions, mostly when he had heard Hiashi speak that way to Hinata. He knew for sure that Hiashi would kill Naruto without batting an eye.

_'Can't say I blame Naruto though, some of the things can be pretty damn harsh. For a father to say that to a daughter.. Even Naruto who has never known the love of a father or mother would be upset. But the boy just has too quick a temper when it comes to Hinata and some of his other friends.'_

Ibiki paused here at this thought.

_'Now that I think about it, he tends to be more protective of Hinata then he is of the others. Wonder if it is just him being some gentleman, or if it goes deeper then that. I'll have to ask Anko or Iruka about that later._ _Right now I need to figure out how to convince that bastard Hiashi to let Hinata come to the party.'_

Here Ibiki stopped his thoughts to look up into the cloudless noon sky.

_'Not many cards to play on the guy, with the exception of a few that might cause him to Jyuuken me in a heartbeat. Going to have to save those for my trump cards if my main argument doesn't go too well.'_

Ibiki was once again pulled from his thoughts as he heard the distinct sound of a gate opening, and closing, and the sound of someone walking towards him.

"Morino-san, I understand you have some questions for me? Make this quick, as I am a busy man."

"Sorry to disturb you Hiashi-sama", _I hate sucking up to this bastard_, "I was looking to invite Hinata-sama to a birthday party that is taking place next week. On the tenth to be exact.", Ibiki stopped at that point, knowing Hiashi would understand what he meant.

"No, I will not have my daughter around that demon. If I had my way, he would never have been allowed into the Academy."

"Hiashi-sama, surely a member of the greatest clan in the village is not so blind to believe that a child like Naruto could be a demon. Yes he does some things that are not favored by many in the village. But if you would stop to look at the situation, he only does it to those who deserve such actions, or provoked him in some way."

"I said no. The child is a demon, no matter how you look at it. At the first sign of the seal weakening or breaking, I will be one of the first in line to destroy it."

"So you doubt the abilities of the Yondaime? One of the greatest Shinobi the village has ever made? Not to mention he was once a member of your Genin Cell if I remember correctly."

At the mention of this Hiashi straightened up a little more, if possible, and gave Ibiki his full attention now.

"This is not a question of his skill, but the boy's weakness, and the demon's strength. There is nothing us mortals could hope to do to prevent such forces. It is destined that the demon breaks free, and so it is also destined the boy will die before it happens."

Ibiki hated when some of the Hyuga would start talking about fate and destiny like this.

_'You would think they never heard of free will. Damn I wish he never turned into this cold bastard he is now.'_

"I understand your fears, but surely you have listened to the reports given by Sandaime-sama concerning the Kyubi. You should know that it is not something we need to worry about. Besides, I seem to remember some people saying destiny and fate are what we make of it. That each person should take charge of their own life and live it the way they wish, and not let anyone dictate how they should live, or how they should act.", Ibiki paused to think about what he was going to say next.

"I'm sure Hitome would agree with me, and probably jump at this chance."

Hiashi's eyes showed a brief glimmer of sadness, but quickly changed to anger.

"Don't dare mention that in front of me again. If you do, I will ensure you never live to make the same mistake twice. Is that understood.", the last part was left as more of a statement then a question.

"Hiashi-sama, please understand. I know Hitome saw Naruto as a hero for the burden he has to live with. Not only that, but she would frown upon your treatment of him. The least you could do is allow Hinata to go to his birthday party. Not only do you owe it to Hitome, but you also owe it to Hinata and Naruto. Naruto did after all possibly save Hinata five years ago did he not?"

Hiashi's eyes once again blazed with anger, but softened as he took in more of what Ibiki had just said. He couldn't help but remember that night five years ago..

* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

Hinata came running into the house, clothes a little dirty, but her face had a bright smile on it. Her eyes showed a happiness that had been absent since her mother was taken into the medical wing of the Hyuga mansion.

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" cried the little girl as she ran to her mother's room. Her smile lightened the room up considerably, and brought a true heartfelt smile to the woman she ran up to.

"Oh! Hinata-chan, you seem happy, even though you are rather dirty. What has my little sunshine happy today?"

"I meet this really nice boy, he came and beat up these bullies that were picking on me and someone else. He wasn't afraid of them or anything! He was like one of those people in the books you used to read me at night!." Young Hinata was holding on to her mother's hand as she told her this. Her eyes were bright with excitement, and her face glowed with her happiness.

"Oh was he now, does this Prince Charming have a name? What does he look like?" Hyuga Hitome was smiling as well. Seeing her little sunshine this happy was purpose enough for one of her, unfortunately, rare smiles. At the mention of the name, Hinata's mood changed some. She was still happy, but not as much as she was before.

"I didn't get his name. He left right after he helped me up, and the other girl I was playing with. One of the parents were mad at him for beating her son up. But he had the most beautiful blue eyes! They were as blue as a the sky! His hair was almost gold! It shined really nicely when the sun was hitting it. He also had these cute little markings on his cheeks, they almost looked like the whiskers of an animal!"

Hitome knew who is was just by the remark of the whiskers, and she was glad that he had done what he did, even though few would acknowledge him for it.

"My Hinata-chan, you are one lucky little girl. That boy that rescued you is a real live Hero! I can't tell you why, but every day he protects us from dangerous things. I would be more then happy for you to be friends with him, because as a Hero he is very lonely. Not many people thank him for what he does, instead they pick on him, and try to bully him. So please, become his friend, he can use all the friends he can get. Do you understand Sunshine?"

Hinata nodded her head eagerly, surprised that she had meet a real Hero, and eager to become his friend. "Yes Okaa-san!"

"Now run along and get cleaned up Hinata-chan, dinner will be served shortly, and you wouldn't want to show up looking like that now would you?"

Hinata shook her head, and ran out of the room to get cleaned up for dinner. It wasn't long after she left that Hiashi walked in.

"So Hiashi-kun, did you hear?"

Hiashi walked over to his wife, and took her hand in his as he nodded his head. "Yes, and I'm glad he was there. It seems her guard left his post, and still has not shown up. There is no telling what might of happened. But I have a bad feeling about this. What if they are still after her?"

"Oh Hiashi you worry too much. Everything will be fine, you just have to believe it will be."

Hiashi nodded his head before speaking. "Yes, I suppose it will be, but I still can not help but worry about her. She is our little Sunshine after all. She seems to brighten up every where she goes with her smile. I don't know would I would do without her. Perhaps we should invite our young Hero over for a little play date."

Hitome giggled at the emphasis Hiashi put onto the word _Date_. "Now now, don't you think it is a little early to start planning things like that? Give them time to grow up and enjoy themselves."

"I suppose you are right my dear. You always are after all. If you will excuse me though, I have to go check on some things. You rest up, and try not to over do things."

"I will dear, you just take care of yourself as well. I love you Hiashi."

Bowing down Hiashi gave his wife and gentle kiss on her forehead, and a soft hug before he left the room.

A day later the body of Hyuga Satoshi was found in the forest, split in half by unknown means. It caused a great uproar in the village when they found out that he was formally the Hyuga Heiress' bodyguard, and had not been seen for the last few days.

* * *

_**Present**_

"Very well Ibiki, she may go, I at least owe her something for the way I have acted these past few years."

Hiashi was visibly saddened, something that had not been seen by anyone since the death of his wife years ago. Ibiki was starting to regret bringing up the subject of his wife, but knew it might be the only way for the stern man to allow this.

"Thank you Hiashi-sama. You have no idea how much this will mean to Naruto and I'm sure Hinata will enjoy herself. I give you my word nothing will happen to her while she is there. If need be, I will pick her up myself, and escort her to the location."

"I will hold you to those words Ibiki. Now please leave me, I have much to do."

Both men exchanged short bows, and quickly went on their way. With his greatest task done, Ibiki only had one other thing on his mind.

_'I hope Asuma is up for some drinking tonight, I can sure use a few after that.'_

With that Ibiki left to find only remaining drinking buddy, since Anko was out of town at the moment.

* * *

Sorry about the late update folks, there was a lot I wanted to put into this chapter, but did not get in. So, what did not make it this time, will be in the next one for sure. I am sorry I didn't reply to reviews like I normally do as well, been kind of hectic for me the last month or so. I plan on having the next chapter out sooner then I did this one, so just bear with me on it. 

The Jutsus I gave him in this chapter are all from Wikipedia's listing for Naruto.


	7. Dawn of the Kitsune

_'Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

**Previously**

"Well, I'm no expert on this, but it could because someone she really likes is giving her the compliments." stated Anko as she walked up to the little group.

"Oh, OH! Like when Iruka-sensei acts around you Nee-chan? He blushes sometimes, and has a hard time looking at you when you come to visit. But I know he only does that because he likes you…", here Naruto trailed off as he suddenly realized what everyone was pointing out to him.

Once Naruto realized this, his brain promptly shut down from the overload. In the back of his mind he knew for sure he heard Hikari laughing, and if he looked she was probably rolling around in the grove holding her stomach from it. He did how ever manage to hear a few things.

Tsunade, Anko and Shizune all saw the stunned look on Naruto face as the information finally sunk into his head. But they didn't expect what happened next. Naruto suddenly started to fall forward as he fainted from the revelation.

Shizune being the closest one to him, caught him before he managed to hit the ground. All three women had to laugh at the shade of red on Naruto's cheeks.

"Well, looks like he figured it out. Who knows maybe he feels the same way, he wouldn't react like this if he didn't at least feel something more then friendship towards her. If I remember correctly they have played together the last five years, and become very good friends." said Anko as she picked Naruto up to take him down to their room.

**Konoha**

"Very well Ibiki, she may go, I at least owe her something for the way I have acted these past few years. But if one hair is harmed on her, you can count on me coming for your head, as well as the demon's."

Hiashi was visibly saddened, something that had not been seen by anyone since the death of his wife years ago. Ibiki was starting to regret bringing up the subject of his wife, but knew it might be the only way for the stern man to allow this.

"Thank you Hiashi-sama. You have no idea how much this will mean to Naruto and I'm sure Hinata will enjoy herself. I give you my word nothing will happen to her while she is there. If need be, I will pick her up myself, and escort her to the location."

"I will hold you to those words Ibiki. Now please leave me, I have much to do."

Both men exchanged short bows, and quickly went on their way. With his greatest task done, Ibiki only had one other thing on his mind.

'_I hope Asuma is up for some drinking tonight, I can sure use a few after that.'_

With that Ibiki left to find only remaining drinking buddy, since Anko was out of town at the moment.

* * *

**Dawn of The Kitsune**

Ibiki had wasted very little time that night heading to the nearest bar. Once there he managed to rinse away most of his stress from his meeting with Hiashi, and let his mind wonder to other things. Things like Naruto and Anko.

'_I hope you two are still okay. The message the Hokage gave me didn't say much, and leaves much to let the mind fill in. Damn you Anko, you had to take him on the mission. Why couldn't you just decline the damn thing, then you and Naruto would both be safe. Going to have to knock you both upside the head a few times when you get back. Of course there is also Naruto's birthday coming up next week too. I have my part of the deal covered, so you better make sure your ass gets here in time for the party, I went through too much just to get his friends here. I'm not sure I would be able to go through all of that again if you miss this party.'_

With that Ibiki finished off his third bottle of Sake for the night, and just sat there in his own private little booth, looking down in his cup.

"Yo Ibiki", looking up at the speaker, Ibiki noticed a certain silver haired Jonin, wearing his hitaiate over his left eye. The person sounded too happy to Ibiki, not to mention said person just pissed Ibiki off by existing. The little orange book the Nin had in front of him might have had something to do with it.

"What do you want Kakashi.",was all Ibiki had to say to the man. "While you are talking to me, I'd at least like for you to put that garbage away."

"Hm, I suppose I could, but I was just getting to the best part." Kakashi paused as he heard a growl coming from Ibiki. "Relax, I'm not here for a fight or anything. I am just delivering a message, or should I say request." mumbled the silver haired Jonin with his only visible eye betraying his amusement.

"Get on with it then, I don't have all day to listen to your rambling. Not like I can stand to look at you much more."

"Hm, well since you put it that way, Hokage-sama wanted to see you in his office in the morning. So I guess I'm done here.", with that he vanished in a plume of smoke as he took his leave.

"Guess I'll have to cut this drinking session short tonight, always tomorrow, maybe Asuma or Genma will be around then.". With those final words Ibiki paid his bill, and went on his way home, hoping he could get through the week with out killing some idiot.

* * *

_**Hokage's Office**_

A cloud of smoke briefly blocked the Hokage's view of his office doors, and as the cloud cleared a Hatake Kakashi stood, book in hand.

"Ah, back so soon Kakashi, so I take it you have delivered the message?"

"Yes Hokage-sama, though I still don't see why you have me do that for Ibiki and Anko. You know how we feel towards each other." answered Kakashi is a mildly serious tone.

Sighing the Hokage looked back to Kakashi, "I would have thought that you three would have worked your problems out by now Kakashi. I know it is hard for you, but you must move on, and understand that Naruto had nothing to do with the death of your Sensei. So there is no use in blaming him for it."

"I can't help but do that. When I look at him, I am reminded of Sensei. The whisker marks, the fox like grin. Just knowing that the Kyubi is inside of him makes me wary of being around him. Under normal conditions I would kill the thing or person who did this. But I can't do that in this case now could I?" as he was talking he went from a somber tone to one that showed slight anger.

"I know Kakashi, but still, can't you do what he asked? He wanted Naruto to be seen as a Hero, but yet his greatest student, the Copy-Nin Kakashi, can't see that he is just a normal boy, with a great burden on his shoulder. sigh It seems that the Sharingan can not see everything sadly. But you do know Kakashi, if his grades keep up the way they are, and he graduates with Uchiha Sasuke, you will be stuck with him."

"Well, hopefully by then he drops out, or raises his grades. I don't think the team would do well with the Uchiha, him and myself all on the same team. I have no problem with the Uchiha, since it is the least I could do for Obito, but I can not make myself see the other boy any other way. Arashi-sensei was like a father to me, and helped me through a great deal. To be constantly reminded of why he died every day; well I would hate to see what might happen." it was with those final words Kakashi vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"It is a shame you feel that way Kakashi. I hope you feel differently by the time it comes to place him on a team. But if not, I think I have a back up plan ready.. Now if he would just stay in the village long enough to use him.", all the while he was tapping his fingers on a small envelope, one he quickly locked away in his desk till the person he needed arrived.

Finally the Hokage got back to what many Kages have learned to hate once in office. Paperwork.

* * *

_**Hyuga Compound**_

Hiashi was walking through the large building that housed the Main house of the Hyuga clan, looking for a certain young Heiress. All the while the conversation with Ibiki playing through his mind.

'_Hitome, what do you think of me now? Am I still the man you fell in love with? Or have I become the type of person you despise? I have treated our little Sunshine so badly since you left us, how could I make it up to her? I have let the council tell me how to treat our Sunshine, and let them tell me how weak she is. Sadly she is not weak, she is just too kind hearted, just like you were. She doesn't want to hurt anyone.' _

As he was going through the halls he stopped at an old ornate door. Pausing for a second he turned and opened the door and walked in. Once in he closed it back, and started to light the numerous candles that surrounded a small cabinet on a table in the middle of the room. Once done with the candles he opened the cabinet to reveal a photo of a woman, who looked very much like Hinata, except older, and with a soft gentle smile on her face.

"Hitome, I fear that I have done something terrible. Not only have I shunned the Hero of our village, but I did the same to our daughter. How could you ever forgive me?"

Hiashi grabbed an incense stick and after lighting it, placed it by the cabinet, and bowed his head in a prayer.

'_I promise Hitome, from this day forward I will try to change. I will try to become the person you fell in love with once again. I will no longer bow to the Will of the elders. I will do what you would have wanted of me. I will become the father I should have been after you left. It may be too late to change the past, but I can try to change the present and the future. Please give me the strength I need Hitome. I have been lost in the dark for too long.'_

With that Hiashi raised, and gently blew the candles out and left the room. He was now determined to make amends with his family, and the first step was to let Hinata know of the party. While walking down the halls he couldn't help but remember the past events and what brought him to become the person he was now.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

Hyuga Hitome was sitting in the Hospital, deathly ill. Her skin was paler then normal, and her eyes had a far away and glazed over look in them. She was dieing, not yet dead, but slowly passing away. She had been like this for the last few two weeks. No one knew what was the cause of it. All of the best medics had examined her, and all the Hyugas had done the same. Yet no one could tell what had happened.

No one could tell if it was poison, illness, or some disease, as there was no sign of anything in her system to indicate such things. All they could do was make her as comfortable as possible, as the pain she was going through was immense. What ever it was had to be giving her unbearable pain, as every so often she would wince in pain, with her beautiful face contorting with it. If it wasn't for the sedatives she was giving, it would be ten times worst, and her screams could be heard on the other side of the village.

Hiashi stood by her side, holding her hand, trying to offer what comfort he could. Each wave of pain that hit her, hit him with the force of a Rasengan. He didn't know what he could do to help her, he had felt so helpless as he stood there and watched his love slowly fade away from this life.

To make matters worst for him, he had a meeting with the Clan Elders later that night. They wanted to discuss the lack of growth of his eldest daughter, Hinata, and her choice of playmates. They feared that her associating with the Kyubi child would cause people to think that the Hyuga favored the child. Far be it for them to see him as a Hero, much like several others, including the child's newest family.

No, they did not want Hinata to have anything to do with him. They feared that she would be caught up in any act of violence that would be directed at him. That or she would do something that would tarnish the Clan's "perfect" image. So Hiashi knew they would force him to make his daughter separate from her one true friend, and someone who may have indirectly saved her.

It had been just over seven months since that incident, but it still stuck out in his mind. Hinata being left alone in the park, and then days later the Branch member guard being found in the forest by the Inuzukas, sliced in half.

Hiashi stood there beside his wife for who knows how long, he gently held her hand, and slowly felt the life drain from out of it. Finally the only sound left in the room was the buzzing of the monitor as it signaled the last of her life leaving her.

The doctors and Medic-Nins did what they could, but everyone there knew it would be to no avail. Hiashi stood over her, and felt like a part of his heart had past away with her. Slowly he released her hand, and just looked down at her face, which was frozen in a contortion of pain, marring her face. He had to turn away, he couldn't stand seeing her once beautiful, elegant and graceful features in such a way. Slowly he left the room, no tears coming from his eyes, just silent rage at who ever or what ever caused this. So being a proud man, he kept his depressed feelings locked away deep inside of himself.

His next thoughts were how was he going to tell his daughters about the passing of their mother. Hanabi would never truely get to know her mother, just being born a month ago in March. Hinata on the other hand would surely be able to grasp the meaning of this, and she would be crushed when she learned she had lost her mother. Pushing those thoughts aside for now, he walked as calmly as he could back to the Hyuga compound, first to get this deplorable meeting out of the way, then to mourn his loss with his daughters. He could not let his mask slip now, he had to stay strong.

He finally made his way home, and was greeted by members of the Branch family. Managing small nods to them he made his way to the meeting room, not looking forward to what was due to be discussed.

Hiashi sat listening halfheartedly to the Elders, thinking more of his wife, and his children. So he was surprised when he heard his name being called. Jerking his head up, he looked towards the head of the Elder council.

"Hiashi, we feel that it is time to stop these childish acts that your daughter has been committing. Not only is she consorting with the demon, but she is ruining the reputation of the Hyuga when she is seen with him. We must put a stop to this, as far as we know your wife's death could be the fault of the demon."

Hiashi's head jerked up once again at this comment, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the man. "Uzumaki-san could not have been the cause of such an act. He is only a child.." Hiashi was cut off as another Elder spoke up.

"Yes, a child who happens to hold the most powerful demon in the world behind his navel. We do not know how cunning this demon is. Being a Kitsune we can be sure it isextremelyclever, and capable of doing such acts. No, I think this could be his doing, it would explain several things, such as why it has befriended your daughter, or why they could find no cause for your wife's death.It wishes to get a hold of the Hyuga eyes, or to destroy the strongest clan of Konoha and with your wife gone, it can do so much more easily then it could before." Many of those gathered in the room nodded in agreement with the statement, some calling for the death of the demon child.

Hiashi sat there and thought about what he had just heard. In a way some part of him knew the statements were false. Yet a part of him, the part that was looking for something or someone to blame the death of his wife on was grabbing onto the statement, holding onto it with all that it could.

"Hiashi, we know you are in mourning, but that does not mean you should put your daughters in danger. Even if the demon is not responsible for the death of your wife, your daughter could be in danger just by being around him. Who knows when it will break out, or who may come to try to destroy it. She could be hurt by those meaning to kill it, or even worst, they could kill her or take her. But either way we as the council can not have the future heiress to the clan in such a position."

Hiashi nodded in understanding. He had already lost his wife, and he could not risk losing his daughters, the only thing he had left of her.

"I understand, and I will instruct Hinata on this. I will also address it with the Branch member who shall be guarding her."

'_Could what they say be true? Could Hitome's death have been orchestrated the Kyubi? Could it only be using the boy to full fill it's wants and needs. What better way then to use an innocent looking child.'

* * *

_

_**Flashback**_

A seven year old Hinata was in the family dojo sparring with her cousin, Neji, of the branch family. Her father and sister watching.

Neji was a genius of the family Taijutsu style, and bloodline, far surpassing some members of the Main house. Hiashi, and the council though expected the next in line as head of the clan to be able to surpass this though. So they regularly had the two spar since Hinata had turned six, hoping she would show some talent in the family traditions.

Sadly Hiashi and the Elders were disappointed, as Neji would continually out match Hinata in every way. He was far superior to her in the Jyuuken, and in the abilities of the Byakugan. So of course Hiashi was starting to become disappointed in his daughter, and the Heiress to the clan's performance. After the first six months he had started to demand why she performed so poorly, and always was beaten by a Branch member in the sparring sessions. All she would do was look at her father, eyes tearing up, and slowly hang her head, as she knew she had failed him again.

Hiashi had started to become stricter on her after the meeting two years ago that made it forbidden for her to be around the Uzumaki. He could still remember her eyes as he told her she could no longer play with him, how the boy was not a Hero, but a monster, trash not worth the time of day. Shortly afterward he tried to train her personally in the Jyuuken and the uses of the Byakugan, only to see she performed them poorly. Her attempts at the arts only enraged him as she did the poorly, making him ashamed of her.

Sighing as Hinata was once again knocked to the ground by Neji, Hiashi spoke up. "That is enough for today, Hinata, you once again disappoint me. Your performance was poor, Hanabi shows greater skill at her current age then you ever have. Leave and clean up while I begin her training now. You have wasted enough time today."

Hinata hung her head at her father's words, and bowed before heading to get cleaned up. All she could do is wonder why her father changed so much after her mother passed away.

* * *

_**Present**_

'_What a fool I was to think those things. He has gone above and beyond anything a Demon could think of doing. From what I've heard he has withstood several beatings, and yet he still has not broken. I should have more faith in the Yondaime and the Sandaime. I should have believed the words you said to me Hitome, "The child is not the demon of this village. The villagers are the true demons. They attack the poor boy with such anger and hate, never being able to see beyond what they feel is the surface. Theywish to findthe true demons then they should look in a mirror. Uzumaki Naruto, he is a Hero of this village, and should be treated as such by us, and not shunned.'_

Hiashi stopped himself outside of Hinata's room, and wonder how he should go about this. It had been so long since he had spoken with his eldest daughter in any friendly way. Looking back at the last five years, he felt like he was watching another person, one who was cruel, and heartless to his daughter. Not the man he felt he should have been, and was before his wife passed.

Shaking the thoughts away, he gently knocked on his daughter's door, hoping to be able to change how she must see him. Waiting and wondering what he should say to her. As he stood there, he nearly missed the soft, and timid reply from within the room.

"C-come i-in", came from within the room, and with it Hiashi gently slid the door open, and stepped into the room. Once he was inside, he paused to look around the room, never before caring what it looked like. He was once again reminded of how much he did not know about his eldest daughter.

'_So she enjoys her mother's past time, flower pressing, I suppose I should not be surprised.'_

As Hiashi looked around he could see several flowers that had been preserved and framed and hung on the wall, or in assorted frames around the room. He also took note of several flowers he had not seen in some time, and only found in one place according to his knowledge. Curious, he walked over to one, and lifted it from the bookshelf it rested on. One particular flower caught his interest, as he had never seen one in any shop or garden before.

"Where did you get this flower Hinata? I have never seen it around in our gardens, or any other place before."

Startled, Hinata turned to see her father holding a flower, one she treasured like no others. The flower in question was one of the first ones she was ever given from someone outside of her family, and it also happened to be a flower that was given to her by none other then Naruto. It was a blue rose, one that Naruto claimed he made himself, which gave it even more value to Hinata, all because it was a gift from him, and it almost matched the color of his eyes perfectly.

"Otou-san." Hinata said, and gave a small bow from her current kneeling position by her futon. "T-t-that flower w-was given t-to me by a f-friend." was all she was capable of stuttering out. She was starting to grow nervous with the attention her father was giving some flowers in her room, most of which had come from Naruto.

"Hinata" came his voice once again. Though not saying it, Hinata knew her father wanted her to look up at him. "Morino-san came by earlier, he was wondering if you would like to attend a small gathering for Uzumaki-san." he paused as he noticed a small blush starting to form on Hinata's cheeks. He also couldn't help but notice her shaking, ever so slightly, as if she was afraid of what he might say next.

"I thought you were instructed to stop seeing him. I understand you attend the same academy with him, but to see him outside of those boundaries, it is almost as if you defy my words, and those of the council." He declared with a stern tone, and started to regret it when he noticed her looking down towards the ground, and shaking a little more violently.

"But, I can see it is useless to keep a Princess from seeing her Hero. Just remember who you are, and do not do anything deemed unacceptable by our standards." With that Hiashi set down the framed flower, and started to walk out of the room. As he was leaving he paused at the door to look back at Hinata.

"Also, Morino-san will come by on the tenth next week, to take you to the gatheringfor Uzumaki-san's birthday. I hope that you enjoy yourself.", and with those parting words Hiashi left a stunned Hinata to wonder what just happened.

'_Thank you Otou-san'_

* * *

_**Naruto's Mindscape**_

Naruto was walking through the grove of his mind, slowly making his way towards where he and Hikari usually trained. In his daze he couldn't help but trip over just about every root and rock all the while thinking about what was just revealed to him.

'_Hinata-chan likes me, but why? She is nice and all, but she could probably have any guy she wanted if she wasn't so shy. So why does she like me? Do I even deserve someone like her? She is really nice, and I don't see why or how she could like me. Then there is the fact that her entire family would rather see me dead. Maybe that is why, she wants to get even with them for something.'_

Finally, and with out paying attention to where he was, Naruto made it to the clearing where Hikari stood waiting for him. She could tell he was deep in thought, not just from the look on his face, or the numerous cuts and tears in his clothes. She could tell because when ever he became deep in thought the "sky" of the Mindscape would become clouded, just like the sky does when a storm is approaching.

'_**I guess it was a bigger shock to him then I thought. I just wish he wouldn't doubt himself like this. He really doesn't see that he is a great person, now if he would quit letting the villager's words get to him like this.'**_

"_**Naru-chan"**_

Naruto tensed hearing his old nickname called out. One that he dreaded more then any other name, even Dobe, or dead last. Thankfully only a few called him that, and had stopped when he turned ten.

"Don't call me that! I'm not a little kid any more Nee-chan!" he yelled at Hikari, as he jumped out of his shock and starting shaking a fist at her.

"_**Well the way you are walking and acting right now makes me think differently. Besides, you will always by my little Naru-chan, and there is nothing you could do about it. I mean after all I am one of the oldest people in your village."** _after that she playfully stuck her tongue out at Naruto, hoping to lighten the mood some. Thankfully Naruto managed a small smile at her antics.

"_**Now, why not tell me what is bothering you? Who knows I might be able to help you some."**_

Sighing, Naruto started to look down at the ground and kick at what ever was with in his range on the ground. He felt embarrassed to be talking about something like this with someone he looked to as a sister.

'_But who else can I to talk to, Shizune-nee-chan, Tsunade-baa-chan, definitly not Ero-Sennin. I hardly know them three, so it just leaves me with my Nee-chans, and I know Anko-nee-chan would pick on me about it. Too bad Aniki or Iruka-sensei aren't here, they might be able to help me..'_

Sighing, Naruto sat down as if he was defeated. Seeing this Hikari sat down across from him, and waited to hear what he had to say.

"Nee-chan.. I don't know what to think. Every one says Hinata-chan likes me, but I don't see why she could or would like me. I mean she is a great friend, but why would she see me like that? It doesn't make sense, even when I know her family hates me; and I hate most of them back." Naruto paused and mumbled something, which to Hikari sounded something like _Hiashi-teme_.

"I just don't know how she could see me as anything other then a friend. There are so many other guys she could have if she wanted. I mean I know Kiba likes her, or so Shikamaru says sometimes. So why does she like me? No girls like me except for my Nee-chans, and Ayame-chan, even then it is just like brother and sister."

Looking on, Hikari saw him hang his head as a wave of emotions started to play out on him. There was confusion, happiness, sadness, hope, surprise, and just about every other emotion possible for a ten year old boy.

'_**Looks like it will take a lot to set him straight. He just doesn't seem to realize how much he means to her.'**_ Sighing Hikari stood up and made her way to sit beside Naruto.

"_**Naru-chan, no one said love made sense. If it did everyone would be an expert at it, and would never need to talk to other about it. It's a shame too, because then you wouldn't have to worry about that pervert Jiraiya peeking on everyone and writing his dirty books."**_ she looked down and noticed Naruto trying to hold back his laughs at the joke.

"_**Now, as to why she could like you, or even love you, well that is easy enough to explain. You might not have noticed, but she has watched you for the last five years. She has seen the things you go through, and how you don't let them hold you down. You push on no matter what happens to you. She admires that strength, and your determination. To her you are everything she is not." **_Hikari was interrupted as Naruto burst out.

"Hinata-chan is strong! She just doesn't like to hurt people. She's really smart too! She has helped me a lot on our tests and homework. She cares a lot about people too." stated Naruto firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head.

"_**Yes, you may see that in her, but her family, mostly her father and that cousin see her as weak, and she lets that get to her. She has been under that stress for who knows how long. So she has developed an inferiority complex, so she does not see herself in the same light you do."**_

Hikari looked down at Naruto, and noticed the emotions playing across him. First was confusion over what she claimed. Next came anger, at the way Hinata may have been treated. Then came sadness, that he never knew one of his best friends was treated that way. Anger came again, this time at himself for not seeing it and trying to help. Lastly came a look of determination.

"I.. I didn't know she went through that. But now that I do know.. I don't want to see her like that any more, she doesn't deserve to be treated that way. Family shouldn't treat family that way.. They are supposed to care for each other, and support each other. Not do those types of things like they did to Hinata-chan. Now that I know, I'll do everything I can to keep her safe. She was one of my first friends. Thanks to you, Shizune-chan, and Tsunade-baa-chan, I think I might feel the same way about her.."

His final sentence was almost whispered out, as he was looking down towards the ground, as if he was still trying to sort things out in his mind. But from his words, and the force behind many, there was no doubt he did care for her on some level.

"_**Good, now that we have that settled, I think you should wake up, because I have a feeling we have a lot of explaining to do ."**_ With that, Naruto felt her thump one of his ears on the top of his head, and felt himself drifting away.

'_Wait, since when are my ears on the top of my head!.'_

But before he could say or ask anything, he found himself slowly waking, and hearing someone cry out at something inside of the room he shared with Anko.

* * *

_**The Odyssey, Sleeping Quarters**_

Anko had walked into the room intending to check on Naruto, but there was one problem. Where Naruto should be was a person who had silver hair down past his shoulders. The hair seemed to shine in what little moonlight came in from the window to the cabin.

Fox like ears sat a top of the head, lined with what looked like silver fur, all except one spot on them. The tips of the ears seemed to be colored the same sun kissed blonde as Naruto's, making them stand out amongst the silver hair.

The face of the person was very similar to Naruto's except the whisker marks seemed to be much darker. The irises were not the same brilliant blue as they used to be, but a dazzling silver and the pupils were vertical slits, which seemed to be the brilliant blue that his eyes used to be.

Anko couldn't tell much about the body of the person, but he looked to be about the same height and build as Naruto. Not overly bulky or skin and bones, but seemed to have the perfect body, one most men wish they had, and many women would want. She was able to see one hand, that had fallen out from under the blanket, the nails on the hand had extended, and looked very much like the claws Naruto had when he fought Zabuza. His toes nails looked just the same, as they were barely visible at the foot of the bed.

One other thing caught her attention quickly after a quick glance over the body. A silver and blonde tail, slowly moving and hanging off the side of the bed. The tip, just like the earswas blonde.

All of these observations were made by Anko in a matter of seconds. Once that was done she wasted no time in pulling out a kunai and setting herself into a defensive stance, all in case this person proved to be hostile. It is to that scene that Naruto finally became aware of his surroundings and raised a hand to absently scratch the top of his head, out of habit when he normally wakes.

The first thing to hit his mind upon doing this was simple to understand from his perspective.

"Why do I have a pair of fox ears!", was one of the first thing yelled by the young man. He quickly noticed the sharp claws on his hands and feet, along with a strange pain coming from just above his tail bone. "Gah, what the hell happened, why do I have this pain in my..", he trailed off as he noticed Anko standing not to far from him in a battle stance, and eyes glued to him.

"Nee-chan? What's wrong?", asked the puzzled boy as he quirked his head to the side, looking more and more like a fox with the action.

Anko just stood there watching this person who claimed her as his sister, all the while wondering if he was really who he claimed to be. "Naruto? Is that really you?"

"Of course it's me Nee-chan! Who else would I be? I know I must look different, which is a surprise to me too, but I'm still me." came the reply from the silver haired Naruto.

Anko, unsure if what he was saying was true, just looked Naruto over again.

"Alright, if you really are Naruto, prove it to me. Tell me something that only he would know.", stated Anko as she kept her eyes on Naruto.

'_God, do I really look that different? I wish these rooms had mirrors or something in them.'_

"_**What do you expect? It's not every day that you see someone as a normal human one day, and a Kitsune hanyo during the night. I mean how often do you think she sees her little brother wake up looking just like a fox?"**_

'_I guess you have a point there, so just what do I tell her? 'Sorry Nee-chan I'm now half demon. But don't worry about me, because now I kick more butt then I did before.' She would kill me before I had the chance to finish.'_

"_**Well, not like she could kill you when you are in this form. Your strength, speed, and defenses all surpass those of any mortal. Your life span will be much longer then anyone else as well. You also have the abilities of the Kitsune now, meaning being able to see through many Genjutsu in this form. Your Kitsune Illusion would be able to completely hide you from someone's view now, and would be nearly instinctual to use. The might also be added benefits when you use the skill, and you might be able to modify it."**_

'_Okay, time to test that theory of yours. But what can I say that would only be known in our small little family?'_

"_**Well, that is up to you, just think about it and I'm sure something will come to you."**_

"Well um.. Something that only I would know, and I guess you and Aniki too. Well there is the last practice session we had before this mission..", Naruto started only to be cut off by Anko.

"Sorry, but anyone could have seen that, try again."

Suppressing a growl, he started to think again to figure out something. Finally after what felt like hours he remembered something.

"I know! There was only three people present when I gave you a gift from on our first trip together. There was you, Aniki, and myself, the gift was a tanto in polished ebony, wrapped up in red silk. It also had the ability to catch fire when chakra was channeled into it, which is why it was named the _Dragon's Fang_.". As he finished he looked to Anko, hoping this would be enough to earn her trust, and make her believe he was who he claimed to be. Thankfully he was not disappointed.

Anko looked at Naruto once again, this time she saw him in a different light, as the person who he claimed to be. "Naruto.. What the hell happened to you? If this is some **Henge**, you better drop it, because it's not funny any more."

"Heh.. Well you see Nee-chan, I kind of wish it was a **Henge**, but it's not. Remember when I was telling you, Shizune-nee-chan, Baa-chan, and Ero-Sennin about some side effects of using the chakra from Hikari-nee-chan? Well, it seems that with the chakra amount that I used, and the fact that some has always been slowly leaking into me since she was sealed in me.. Ibecameahalfdemonkitsunenow.", Naruto rushed through the last part hoping to confuse Anko some what.

Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Anko was now becoming red in the face with trying to hold back her outburst to what he just said. But, anyone who knows Anko also knows she has a hard time keeping her temper in check.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!", she exploded, her words reaching all over the ship, and causing a certain three people to rush to the room. The first person to make it was Tsunade with a chakra charged fist blowing the door off of the hinges.

"Anko! What's going on." Yelled Tsunade as she charged through the, or what was left of the door. As she came in and looked to see what was going on her eyes instantly fell upon Naruto and his new look. Upon seeing him she along with Shizune and Jiraiya fell into battle stances ready to fight this intruder. Each having their own thoughts about the person standing in front of them.

'_Who is this strange boy, and why can't I fell his chakra? It's almost as if he isn't even here.'_ were the thoughts of Jiraiya.

'_Wow, what a great body…No.. NO Shizune! Now is not the time to be admiring someone who might be your enemy'_ were the thoughts of Shizune.

'_Who ever the hell this fox person is I know one thing for sure. If he hurt one hair on Naruto's head he is as good as dead.'_ thought Tsunade as she observed the new Naruto.

"NARUTO! What the hell do you mean you're a Kitsune Hanyo now! I'm going to kill her for this! Kami-sama! Do you have any idea how hard this is going to be to explain to the villagers!" shouted Anko as she felt the weight of what Naruto claimed coming down on her.

Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune all just stood there stunned at what they just heard, and the implications of such things. Jiraiya was the first to come out of his stupor to question the two in the room.

"Anko, Naruto, would either of you like to explain to us what is going on here? I mean something about why Naruto looks like a fox now might be useful, you know."

"He he.. Well you see Ero-Sennin, remember when I was telling you about some of the side effects of using so much of that special Chakra of mine? Well this is the side effect.."

"We gathered that much brat, now how about a more detailed explanation."

"I'm not sure about all of the fine details," started Naruto as he walked back over to his bed and sat down. As he did he started to flex his claws, almost as if he was testing them. "But from what Hikari-nee-chan has told me, since I have absorbed so much of her demonic chakra, or Youki, I am now a Hanyo. I've been slowly absorbing if since she was sealed inside of me, which seems to be the purpose of the seal placed on me by the Yondaime."

Naruto paused again as he looked around the room, making sure everyone understood what was being said so far. "Oh yeah Ero-Sennin, mind putting up one of those Silence Jutsus, just so we don't have anyone listening in and all?"

Jiraiya slapped himself in the head for not thinking of that before now, and quickly did as requested by the young Kitsune Hanyo. After he was done he nodded for Naruto to continue.

"It seems though that with the recent surge of chakra into my system, is what made this possible. The seal was supposed to just leak the chakra into me and add it to my reserves, there for making a nearly unlimited chakra reserve for me. But when I used her power in Water Country I changed everything. If there was never such a large surge of youki into my self I would have just stayed normal, maybe changed my appearance a little, but nothing this drastic. But since I did, and I happen to have one of the strongest Kitsune demons inside of me, I turned into this."

"So are you always going to look like this, or is there some way to control it?", asked Tsunade calmly. But inside of her head was another story. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how this might change his life back in Konoha.

"Well, that is the one thing I don't know for sure yet.. It could be a temporary, and only happens during certain times of the lunar phases, or it a permanent problem. If it is something that turns out to be permanent I could always learn a real strong Genjutsu, or use my natural Kitsune abilities to change the way I look."

Every one nodded, well everyone except Anko who was still shocked and extremely pissed about this development.

"Besides, if I have to stay like this there are some bonuses."

With their interest piqued, everyone leaned forward a little more to hear what those benefits might be.

"For example, I can see through a lot of Genjutsu as this, since Kitsunes pretty much patented them along with tanukis. When I say a lot, I mean a LOT. I can even see through some very powerful ones."

Hearing this Tsunade raisedan eyebrow up and looked at Naruto. At the same time Jiraiya and Shizune looked over at Tsunade, a little worried about what might happen next.

"So yeah Baa-chan, I can see through yours, but I don't see what you keep that thing up all the time honestly. For your age you look to be in great shape. I mean it seems age hasn't really touched you as bad as it has Ero-Sennin."

Jiraiya was shocked to hear this, but his shock didn't last for long, as it quickly turned into anger at the last thing said. "Brat! I teach you some Ninjutsu that some Jonin don't even know and that is all you have to say for thanks! I am the best looking person my age you will ever find! Women flock to me! The Gama Sannin! The lady killer! There is no way an old flat chest hag like Tsunade could have aged more gracefully then me!"

After the declaration there was only one thing in the room, silence. Complete silence, a silence that was quickly being filled with thick killing intent, so thick it was starting to make Hikari worry for her own health. The blood lust coming from one person in the room was enough to make many of the deck hands crawl under their bunks in fear and cry for their "mommy".

The source for all this was the only blonde female one would find on the ship. A single blonde female who could level city blocks with a single punch, or level mountains my multiple punches. The one who had many names, including "Legendary Sucker", "Slug Sannin", or "The Greatest Medic-nin in the Shinobi World". A woman no man would want to cross unless they wished to suffer her 10,000 years of pain technique.

To say Tsunade was angry about what Jiraiya said would be a massive understatement. That would be like saying a Konoha Ninja Academy student could defeat to Hokage with a single jutsu. She was beyond angry, and beyond pissed. She was livid, and anyone who wanted to live was hiding already.

Jiraiya noticed the change in the mood, and was looking around the room. He was surprised to see Naruto, Anko,Shizune, and Ton-tonall in the far corner, and huddled together behind an over turned bed, and table.

'_Why are they hiding behind those? You'd think they are trying to get away from something. But what in the world could scare those three that much?'_ After seeing those three like that he quickly started to scan the room once again, he was almost done when he looked over towards where Tsunade was standing with her head down, and arms by her sides.

"Tsunade-hime? Is everything alright?"

What Jiraiya failed to noticed when he looked at Tsunade was her fists clenched, and shaking in suppressed rage. With her head still down she started to speak. "Jiraiya, I hope you have enjoyed your life so far, because it is about to COME TO AND END!" This was all the warning Jiraiya had before Tsunade launched at him, fully intent on showing how to beat a person within an inch of their life.

For the next hour all anyone felt coming from that room was great vibrations that shook the entire ship. Some would continue to swear years down the road that they heard the sound of a child crying for mercy. But those in the room know what happened, or knew what likely happened. Not even those three were brave enough to peek from the corner they kept their heads in, or dared to uncover their ears. Despite all of this, it did little to drowned out the image of Jiraiya being thrown around the room like a rag doll, and beat like an old rug. Nor did it help to keep his cries and pleas from reaching their ears. Who would have thought the great Jiraiya could cry just like a little girl when his life was on the line.

After an hour of touring the seven levels of hell with Tsunade and Jiraiya, things finally calmed down enough for Naruto to continue his talk.

"So uh.. Where was I? Oh yeah, besides being able to see through illusions, I have increased strength, speed, stamina," Anko had to groan here, since Naruto was already a stamina freak before, "my senses will also be stronger then they are now."

Naruto started to pace around the room, being careful to avoid where Shizune was currently ensuring Jiraiya would make it back to Konoha alive.

"Oh yeah! I also have the ability to use some of the Kitsune Yo jutsu (Fox Magic), and Kitsune-bi (Fox Fire). It also seems that I havetwo different types of chakra now.. I also don't have the same chakra as most "normal" people now. I have two types, my Hanyo chakra which is, or so I am told, a silverfish color, much like my fur. Not sure why, since she hasn't told me yet. Then there is the Youki, or demon energy, which I draw from Hikari-nee-chan.

"The Hanyo chakra will take the place of my normal chakra now, and according to her, is stronger then normal chakra, so I can use less to do my Jutsus with. The Youki though is different. It's power blows everything else out of the water so to speak. For example, say with human chakra, it would take a glass of water worth to perform a _**Futon: Daitoppa**. _If I used my Hanyo energy, it would take half of that glass to use, and still be stronger then before.

"Now if I was to use Youki not only would have I have to use abouta fourth of that glass, but it would super charge the Jutsu, and could probably take down Jiji's tower. So I would have to be careful with what Jutsu I use it with. I don't know how it would effect a Genjutsu, but don't think the chakra types matters, just the user's skill. Though it would more then likely make them a little harder to break."

Tsunade, Shizune and Anko were all shocked to hear this. To Tsunade and Shizune though, it made sense. It made sense that the more Chakra you put into a Ninjutsu the stronger it would be, and the harder it would to break or counter them. With elemental Ninjutsu it would probably do as he said, since it has always been believed that Youki was more powerful then any thing a human could do, next to the holy chakra of some priestessesThat was part of the reason why the Kyubi and other such demons were so hard to take down.

So it would only make sense to them and any one else that the Hanyo energy would be able to do the same. Naruto now had the ability to do what all Shinobi wanted, to be able to do more damage, or more anything with less chakra. In theory if he was not careful, or if he was extremely pissed at someone or something, it would stand very little chance of coming out in one piece.

"_**Very good, I am surprised you were able to recite all of that with out me needing to remind you of some things. There is something you should watch out for though. Now you have the scent of a hanyo, meaning you might attract demons to you and other such things. So you may want to let them know."**_

"Great… I just found out my scent is different now, or in a way it is. Since I am a hanyo, I smell like one obviously. So..", he was quickly cut off by Anko who finished the sentence for him.

"Let me guess, other demons can now sniff you out if they wanted to right? Just what we need, more problems."

"Well to be fair, it isn't all that bad.. I mean I've heard of people that would pay good money for demon parts, not to mention that if done right they could easily be made into fine armor and weapons."

"Yeah just have to kill the damn things off. Damn you Hikari! If you were out here I'd really give you a piece of my mind!"

"**_Woman wouldn't last a minute in a fight with me, but I'm sure it would be amusing. sigh Right now we need to wait out and see what your change is brought on by. Who knows, perhaps you will stay a Hanyo, and turn human on certain nights after this.."_**

'_Yeah.. I don't know what I'll do if I have to stay in my Hanyo form all the time. If the villagers found out..'_

"Hey brat, anything else we need to know about?", asked Tsunade breaking him out of his mental debate.

"Nah, don't think there is Baa-chan, but never know what else might pop up. So I guess till morning I'm going to be up in here. Anyone have any games they want to play, like poker maybe?"

Hearing that magic word, Tsunade started to rub her hands together in hopes of winning money. This of course caused Shizune to groan out in complaint, as she knew all too well of Tsunade's "lucky streak". Anko could only grin, after all it is not every day you get to fleece a legendary Sannin. Naruto was also grinning, because he knew he had two suckers for a game, and just needed at least one more, and he knew Jiraiya would not resist once he knew Tsunade was playing.

Needless to say, that night ended up with Tsunade owing just about everyone some amount of money, even Ton-Ton. Jiraiya ended up needed medical attention once again from trying to grope Anko, thankfully Tsunade knew how to neutralize the poison from the snake. Shizune played referee between Tsunade and Naruto, since Naruto seemed to be winning most of the time. Anko spent the most of the night rolling around laughing at Tsunade's horrible luck. Naruto was dodging chips being flicked at him, as well as a wide assortment of other objects that were within range of Tsunade's grasp. This of course was because she claimed Naruto was cheating the entire night, since no one should be that lucky.

As night became day everyone was sitting around and looking towards Naruto expectantly, waiting to see if he would be cursed, hey some view being Hanyo 24/7 as one, or blessed to be able to live a normal life, well as normal as Naruto's could get. So as the sun started to rise over the horizon all eyes were on Naruto. Slowly the bright beams of early morning light came in through the window, blinding everyone. As they adjusted to the new light they all stared in surprise at Naruto.

* * *

**Konoha Ninja Academy**

It was just another day at the Academy for most of the students and teachers. But to five students it was not the normal day.

First there was Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji and Ino, who when gathered that morning all found out that they had been invited to Naruto's birthday party in just under a week. Not ground breaking news to most people, but to Naruto's friends it was earth shattering. It would be the first time Hinata, Choji and Shikamaru would have ever been invited to it, add to the fact that they never knew when his birthday was, and you have three very shocked cadets.

Ino was surprised to be invited because she just recently started to understand that Naruto wasn't as bad as people made him out to be. It was obvious Naruto wouldn't know this, so she couldn't see why she had been invited. When she voiced this concern Shikamaru just commented, "He might not be here, but there are those who seem to care about him that are still here.", as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Even though she was unnerved by this, as were the others, they all couldn't wait to see Naruto again, and finally be able to see inside of his home.

It was while they were talkingthat a female student fromthe year before them walked into the room and looked around. Most of the boys stopped what they were doing to look at her, except for Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke and Shino. From where she was standing she could practically see Kiba looking at her with a little drool coming out of his mouth. After taking a quick glance around again she spotted who she came here to talk to.

Sasuke just stayed in his corner, wishing that Sakura, and the rest of his fan club would leave him alone.

Shino was unconcerned, since his bugs always let him know what was going on in the room.

'_So these are his friends that he tells me about, though he never mentioned a blonde girl before.'_

Shikamaru was the first to notice that Kiba had finally quit yelling at Shino for some reason, so he looked to the front of the room expecting to see Mizuki-sensei or Iruka-sensei. When he did not see either he looked to Kiba, and followed where Kiba was looking. When he did he finally saw what seemed to shut every one up, a girl in a pink short sleeve shirt with red trim at the shoulders. It also hadtwin golden dragons rising and wrapping around her starting from the bottom left, and circling around her back, and coming to the front to finally cross her chest and stop with the head on the top right shoulder. Her pants were black, and slightly baggy, but were tight at about mid-thigh.

Her hair was a dark brown, that vaguely reminded him of dark chocolate, and done up in two small buns at the top of her head. Her eyes seemed to remind of him milk chocolate that he saw Choji with at times.

'_Dang it Choji, now you got me thinking of food at the strangest of times.'_

By this time the others noticed what he was no longer paying attention to them, and followed his gaze, each wondering why a student from a higher class would be there. After all, as far as they knew the only time they came was to mess with Naruto, but he hasn't been there for the lastsix weeks.

As the girl came towards them, they noticed her smiling, and waving towards them, almost as if she knew them some how. As she drew closer she started to talk to them, "Hey guys, mind if I join you for a few minutes?"

Ino being the one who loves to talk was the first to reply, "Sure, have a seat, my name in Yamanaka Ino, this is Hyuga Hinata, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru."

"Thanks, my names Tenten Higarashi. I kind of just wanted to stop by and see Naruto's other friends real quick, and see if you guys have heard anything about him."

Puzzled, all of the friends looked at each other. Hinata, Choji, and Shikamaru had never heard Naruto mention this girl before. It also slightly worried Hinata, thinking that this might be Naruto's girlfriend, and didn't want them to know about it. So she silently sat there playing with the hem of her shirt with her head down thinking of what this could mean.

Shikamaru and Ino noticed the look on Hinata, and were also worried about this, since they knew it would break Hinata's heart if this was his girlfriend.

"No, we haven't seen of heard from him in weeks.. Honestly we are kind of worried about him. But seeing how his brother came and invited us to his birthday party next week, he must be okay.", stated Shikamaru.

Tenten nodded her head hearing this, she also noticed the downcast look of Hinata and wondered what was wrong with her. "From the way you sound, you almost seemed surprised to be invited to his party, first time I take it?", she received nods from everyone there. "No surprise, this is my first time too, I never knew when his birthday was, and could never get his crazy sister or his brother to tell me.

"I guess you might be wondering how I know you guys, and how I know Naruto, so I'll explain real quick before I head to my class. I meet Naruto about five years ago when he came into my families weapons shop and bought some things with his sister and brother. He couldn't talk then either, but that didn't seem to stop him from doing much." Everyone nodded, as they realized that his handicap never did stop him from doing anything. Though Shikamaru and Choji were surprised that she knew him for that long. They had always thought Hinata was the one in their group who had known him the longest.

"After that me and him would play around, some, mostly with weapons, kunai, shurikens and other things. I've never thought that I would see someone as good with throwing weapons as me, but he has me topped easily. During those times we would "talk", with me doing the talking, and him writing. He would tell me about how things were going in the Academy, and about his friends.", she paused for a second to let those things sink in some.

"I know some about you guys, but I'm guess the way you are looking at me, he never said a thing about me right?", once again everyone just nodded their head. The four younger cadets could have sworn they heard her mumbling something about a kunai and some unpleasant place. "Sorry about that, but me and Naruto are like best friends, I think of him almost like a little brother. I even help him with his little inventions that he makes."

Ino was now curious, she had never heard of Naruto and inventions in the same sentence. But then again she didn't know much about him outside of the Academy, and what the other three knew. "What kind of inventions does he make?" Once Ino said this, Tenten brought her hands up to her mouth, almost as if she just realized she said something she never should have said.

"Eh, hehe.. Just forget about it, it's not important. Would you look at the time, I've got to get going, but how about we meet up again after classes are over, we could talk about some things, like what kind of presents to get him and what not. I'm sure you know his favorite place to go, so meet me there.", with that Tenten was up and out the back door to the room, and on her way to her class.

"That was interesting.. Well Hinata, guess you don't have to worry about competition now." Ino said as she grin over to the dark haired girl.

Hinata brought her hands up to cover her cheeks, and quickly looked down trying to hide her blush and relief at the news.

"Tch, how troublesome. Would just be our luck Choji to meet another troublesome woman like Ino, except this one seems to be a weapons mistress."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean you lazy bum!", Ino then commenced to show Shikamaru just how "troublesome" she could really be.

Later that day the five were gathered at Naruto's favorite place, the only place you would ever find him eating when he had a choice, Ichiraku Ramen and Dango stand, now with over twenty different types of dango, and over a hundred styles of Ramen, and still growing.

The five had started talking about how they all meet Naruto, and moved too talking about themselves, and getting to know each other. From there they went on to discussions of presents for Naruto, and Tenten letting everyone know just what exactly Naruto liked to do in his spare time besides paint bomb pranks. To say many of them were surprised about some of his "inventions" was an understatement. Only two of the four were not surprised.

One was Hinata, as she has been watching Naruto for some time now. She had seen him working on many of his grenades, and bombs, and knew the perfect present for him. Goggles. She had seen his work, and knew he could use something like them, so she found some goggles he could wear when using them. They were reinforced glass, with chakra, to make sure the lenses did not shatter easily. They also had a device on them that allowed them to act as binoculars/rangerfinder. Thankfully they also came tinted, which Tenten told her was a very good thing.

Shikamaru was the second person who was not surprised. He could smell the gunpowder, and saw some of the residue on Naruto on more then one occasion. What Naruto was doing to have such things on him he was never sure, but now he knew. The fact that he had seen some of Naruto's idea scrolls, and devices in action on pranks helped. But at the time he had seen them on pranks, he thought Naruto had bought them, since many seemed to be favored by older Shinobi.

"You know, you guys are really as cool as Naruto made you out to be, and it's nice to see more of his friends, to be honest, I think aside from his family, we might the only ones he sees as friends that are his age.. I'm sure you guys have seen the looks he gets from people right." The last part may have been a question, but they all knew it was more of a statement.

"Yeah.. It's really sad too, I mean I might not know Naruto as well as you guys, but I've never seen him do anything to deserve the way people talk about him. Sure a few pranks here and there, but nothing to make an entire village hate him.". Ino was honestly confused and upset about this. She wanted to know why the people hated Naruto, and at the same time she hated the way people treated him, including herself.She would find out one way or another.

Shikamaru noticed the determined look on her face right away. He knew when she got that look it normally meant trouble. "Ino, I don't know what you are thinking, but if it's about Naruto, leave it be. I'm sure he will tell us when he is ready to. There is no reason to force things."

Ino just nodded to Shikamaru, but she still silently vowed to figure out more about Naruto and his past some how, if only to repay him for how cruel she had been to him in the past.

* * *

**A/N:**

Not much going on in this chapter, but things will start to pick up in the next few. After I do the party, and a small display of skill count on some time skips up to the Genin exams.

I am EXTREMELY sorry for this late update. Too many things have poped up for me in the last few months, many of which are a little more important then writing, like Job searching. Add to that a mild case of wrtier's block, and you have a very frustrated writer, and readers.

I know I didn't cover the party this chapter, but I already have the next one started, which will include the party, and a small display of what Naruto is now capable of. I hope you keep reading, because I will keep writing as long as I am able to. If I do discontinue this, which I do not plan on doing, I will say either in my profile, or make an update stating it.

But no need to worry about that, because it will never happen.


	8. Party, Presents, Spies and a Smackdown

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_Naruto writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun. The divider button does not seem to be working right now, so forgive me.

* * *

_**Konoha East road**_

"YES! I can see the gates from here!", was heard by the Konoha gate guards long before they could see the owner of the voice. The owner just happened to be a certain blonde haired boy, and none other then Uzumaki Naruto.

Behind him, and trying to keep up was Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune with Ton-Ton, and Anko. All of them cursing the speed demon that was currently leaping from tree to tree, and bouncing around them. None of them could figure out how the boy had the energy to wake up at four in the morning, do all of his chakra control exercises, physical exercises, jutsu practice, and then still gather food and water for breakfast, and still be able to do this. The boy was jumping from tree to tree, swinging around branches and tree trunks, looking like a monkey playing around.

This didn't surprise them as much as what they always found in the mornings upon waking up. There were times when they would often find large clearings crudely made in the middle of the forest. Large clumps of dirt and rocks would be scattered around them, as well as claw marks in the rocks, earth, and trees. They even found some trees that looked to have just been blown down by massive winds. The only sign of a Jutsu being used was the tell tale signs of **Mizu Bushins**, but never anything more powerful then that.

When they asked Naruto about this, he would only say one thing to them, well when they first asked. After the first few times they finally learned to stop asking. What he said was always, "I'd tell you… but then it wouldn't be a secret.". After hearing that three times, they finally gave up, but each vowed to try to sneak a peak at what he was doing, but they were never able too.

"Come on you slow pokes! We're almost at the village! When we get there, the first thing I'm going to do is stop at Ichiraku's! I miss my ramen so much.. I think I'll first try chicken, then miso, then beef, then.."

All of the adults tuned him out from there. Jiraiya was glad they had finally made it back to the relative safety of the village, but also a little worried. Anko had told everyone shortly after Naruto's change about what day was coming up. Naruto's birthday, as well as the day people celebrated the "death" of the Kyubi. So they each knew Naruto would be in some danger. Thankfully Anko also said that Ibiki has always had a birthday party planned for this day at their house, with normally just Ibiki, Anko, Naruto, Sandaime, and recently Umino Iruka started to join them. On some occasions the Ichiraku family would join them. He only hoped they could get there before any trouble started.

"Brat! Slow down, some of us don't have the energy you do! How the hell do you keep up with him Anko!"

"This is nothing Tsunade-sama, you should have seen him when he was seven, and he got a hold of some chocolate from Lightning country. We requested a medium B, to low A rank mission to find someone to get him. It was too much for me to handle solo.

"Many of the Jonin were run ragged, and made into laughing stocks for being out done by a child, let's not even mention some of the Chunin. The ANBU were smart enough to not touch it, but seeing so many Chunin and Jonin cry.. I think I still have pictures of it, of Chunins on their knees crying from pain, and cursing the invention of chocolate. I believe it is also the only mission to go down in Konoha history as the mission with the most number of failures. Even Gai failed to be able to catch up to him, he ended up on his knees crying about Naruto's 'Passionate youth shinning brightly'.

"Since then we tried to limit his sugar intake, afraid of what might happen the next time. We had to go as far as tell him he was never allowed to touch chocolate again, or any thing with sugar in it with out our ok first. When it does happen on the rare occasion, no one is willing to accept the mission, except for perhaps the newest ANBU, Jonin, or Chunin who have not heard about the first incident. Don't even think of sending a Genin team after him either."

"COME ON! The gate is up ahead!" shouted the young energetic blonde as he continued to rebound off of trees.

"Maybe we should hurry up, the sooner we get home the better for Naruto.", stated Jiraiya as he watched the boy run up to the gate guards.

"Halt! State your name, and business in the village on Konoha, and have all identification papers out.", said a Jonin with his hitaiate on his forehead, and used as a bandanna to cover his brown hair. His clothes were like those of any other Jonin of the village. The only thing that really made him stick out was the senbon between his teeth, that he always seemed to be chewing on.

"It's me tooth pick man! Let me in!", shouted Naruto as he landed in front of Genma.

"Great.. Just when we were getting used the slow, peaceful days.", he rolled his eyes at the pout on Naruto's face. "But… It has been a little dull with out someone making Kakashi pay for being late to his shift duties, not to mention we Jonin and Chunin just haven't had to earn our keep with out having to chase you down."

Naruto started to laugh as he scratched the back of his head, and waited for everyone else to catch up. "Genma-san! I miss anything cool? Nah, doubt I did, this place would be a ghost town with out me to stir things up! I have some real cool stories to tell you, like the mission me and Nee-chan just got back from! We also meet Ero-Sennin, Tsunade-baa-chan, and Shizune-nee-chan!", Genma nearly swallowed his senbon when he heard Tsunade referred to as 'Baa-chan', not to mention the shock he got when he actually noticed Tsunade, Jiraiya, Anko, and Shizune all walking towards the gate.

"That's, uh great Naruto. But you should really call her Tsunade-sama, or something nicer…Wait a second.. Naruto! Since when the hell can you talk!", shouted Genma as he just realized he had been talking to Naruto for the last five minutes. The other guard, Raido, was looking at Naruto like he had just grown two extra heads, five arms, and horns.

'_I must really have missed the boy if I didn't realize it was him right away..'_

"Hehe, Baa-chan fixed me up! So look out Konoha!", Genma and Raido couldn't help but smile at seeing him so energetic. Sure he acted the same before, but hearing him say these things with his own voice for once. It was just something that let them know he was just another kid, but had a heavy burden. About this time the rest of the group walked up to the gate, Genma was surprised when Jiraiya walked up to Naruto and knocked him on the head a few times, along with Anko, and Tsunade.

"Next time we say wait up, or slow down, DO IT!", yelled Jiraiya before turning to the two gate guards. "Why not be a good couple of Jonin, and let us in now? Had a long trip, and I need to report to the Hokage, same with Anko-chan." the last part was said with him turning towards Anko, and giving her one of his lecherous grins.

"Ero-Sennin! Don't you dare look at my Nee-chan like that!", yelled Naruto as he punched the white haired Sannin with what looked like a silver coated fist, sending him flying over the gate, and out of sight. Genma and Raido just stared at the space that used to be occupied by Jiraiya, while Anko, Tsunade, Shizune, and Genma would swear Ton-Ton was laughing too.

"Come on, let's go. Naruto, you run to that Ichiraku place and grab something to eat, then head to the Tower. Shizune and myself need to head to Sarutobi-sensei's office and let him know we are here, as well as report in. Anko needs to do the same, so stay out of trouble. Got it?". Naruto nodded his head and was about to take off before Anko spoke up.

"Otouto, for right now, don't let any one else know you can talk. Just act normal, and meet me at the tower in an hour. If you are not there, no ramen for a month, is that understood?"

Naruto wasted no time in nodding in agreement.

'_No way am I going to miss out on my ramen for another month! I already missed it for nearly seven weeks!'_

"_**You really have a one track mind now don't you Naru-chan. But let's get this over with quickly, I feel something in the air, and I'm not sure what it is…"**_

'_K, I guess just a few bowls will do, we just had lunch too.. I wonder how every one is doing.. Maybe I should visit Hinata-chan..'_

With that final thought he quickly made his way to what he believed to be the national restaurant of Fire Country, which served the country's main dish, Ichiraku Ramen and Dango.

It didn't take him long to make his way along the roofs towards his favorite food stand, many of the ANBU, Chunin, and Jonin on patrol just seemed to notice a black, silver, and yellow blur making it's way to the stand, and they all knew there was only one person who fit that description. Some of the Shinobi who had to "baby sit" him, and got to know him, were glad he was okay. While others just sneered at the "demon" being alive still.

As Naruto made his way along the roof tops he couldn't help but notice that the village was decorated, like a festival was about to start. He couldn't miss the fact that in the Square he could see a stage with performers on it. But he had another mission in mind, to fill himself with as much ramen and dango as he could in an hour.

He was shaken out of this thoughts as he landed in front of Ichiraku's and noticed something that he had never seen before. Ichiraku was closed.

'_NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How can they be closed! They never close! What am I going to do now…'_

"_**It's not the end of the world you know, you can always eat when you get home, besides, I think this is a blessing, it means I don't have to get rid of any more fat from that disgusting food."**_

'_Hey! Ramen and Dango is the best food in the world! Nothing beats them in taste or anything else! You are just jealous that you can't taste the food of the gods.'_

"_**Nope, I have already tasted that food, and I have to tell you, it was far better then those noodles and dumplings you like so much. Besides, I am rather partial to Sushi, and fresh game."**_

'_You're too mean sometimes Nee-chan..'_

"_**Let's go see if we can wait for Anko-chan and the others, then head on home for some real food.. If Ibiki did the grocery shopping.."**_

Naruto nodded, and quickly made his way towards the Hokage Tower, eager to get some real food into his stomach finally. Along the way he noticed the eyes of the people, and he could smell the fear, and hate coming from them.

'_Nee-chan… You noticed the way everyone is acting yet..'_

"_**Yes.."**_

'_They only act like this on one day of the year..'_

**_"Let's hurry to the tower before someone does something stupid."_**

Naruto increased his pace, and was nearly past the Academy when he heard the sound of someone practicing in one of the small training grounds there. Pausing for a second, he noticed it was none other then his arch-rival, Uchiha Sasuke doing target practice. Naruto decided upon seeing this, to watch and see if Sasuke had gotten any better while he was gone.

Sasuke was deep in concentration as he tried to go through his target practice with out missing a target in the many flips and rolls he was doing. If he messed up, he would stop, and start over from scratch. He would not take anything but perfection. He was so caught up in this he never noticed Naruto sit in the tree behind him watching, then leave after a few short minutes.

After his little stop it didn't take him long to make it to the tower, where he quickly ran in, and up the stairs to wait outside of the Hokage's office.

* * *

_**Hokage's Office**_

It didn't take long for Anko, Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade to make it to the tower. Add to the fact that they wanted to make this quick in hopes of getting Naruto home fast, and it looked like they took a few tips from the Yondaime.

This of course still did not stop people from gawking at the return of Tsunade and Jiraiya, which seemed to cause a number to cheer, for two of the greatest Shinobi Konoha has ever made to be back in the village.

'_Idiots, cheering for us, when they don't know how to treat a real hero.. It's things like this that made me leave this village in the first place. But now I have a reason to return, I will not let these bastards hurt Naruto again.'_

Was Tsunade's thoughts as people continued to cheer for her return.

Once they managed to get to the tower, it was easy enough to get in to see the Sandaime, who seemed to be just as eager to get a quick debriefing, then head out. So there was very little time wasted in pleasantries, as both parties, starting with Anko, then Tsunade/Shizune, and finally Jiraiya/Sandaime explaining what has happened in the time since Anko departed on her mission.

"This latest news of his change is a little disturbing.. However, since the change did not seem to be permanent, we shall have to wait and see what other changes may occur."

* * *

_**Flashback**_

As the sun started to filter in through the window to the cabin, everyone was briefly blinded by the bright light. Slowly, their eyes started to become accustomed to the light, and they were all shocked to see that Naruto was back to his old self. Tanned skin, light whisker marks, sun kissed blonde hair, and his original deep blue eyes. It was almost as if he had never changed to begin with.

Slowly, as they each looked him over, they each started to notice one little difference in this Naruto, that was never there before.

In his hair, there were small silver streaks that the light seemed to dance upon. If it was not for the brief cloud blocking the Sun, no one would have ever noticed the streaks in his hair.

Naruto could already tell he was back to normal, since his hands no longer felt like claws, and he could no longer feel his tail.

"Well kid, looks like you don't have to stay in that form all the time. But we do need to find out what your trigger is."

Naruto nodded in understanding to Tsunade, as he started to converse with Hikari.

'_Any ideas Nee-chan?'_

"_**Well, it seems this was only your first change, your body testing the new form so to speak. It is too early to tell if you change with the Lunar Phases, but I have an idea to what may be your trigger."**_

'_Go on, the more I know the better.'_

"_**If I had to guess right now, looking at how you gained the ability to become a Hanyo, and some of what happened before you first changed, I would have to say it is triggered by your emotional state. I believe this to be based upon what caused you to channel so much of my chakra in our fight with Zabuza."**_

'_Makes sense I guess, but why did I change now?'_

"_**You were confused about your feelings for Hinata. You were troubled, and unsure. While you may not have realized it consciously, you were scared of what it might mean. You were afraid that she might hate you if she found out about me, afraid she would start to act like the other villagers. Not to mention the fear you have of her Father. These things triggered the change which I believe will happen when you in are situations that cause you to be scared, angry, or in a desperate situation. In those times, no one with a brain cell would want to get in your way. We must be careful though, there is no way to tell what other changes you may go through."**_

Naruto relayed this information to the others in the room, causing Jiraiya to go into his thinking mode, and prompting Shizune and Tsunade to run some medical scans on him just to be sure everything was fine.

After Shizune and Tsunade were done, they broke away to get some well deserved rest before they made land fall in the next day or two.

* * *

_**Present**_

"I agree Hokage-sama, until we know more about this change, we will have to wait and see. I can honestly say that I am glad that it was not permanent. It would only make his life a living hell here in this village if it was. I mean we barely got the assassination attempts to stop two years ago. If this had happened, imagine what would have started..", came the nervous response from Anko.

"He still has nightmares of what happened to him when he first meet you and Ibiki. From what he tells me, he even has some about other incidents that are more recent.", added Tsunade in a depressed tone.

"I agree, if that did happen, I am afraid the only thing we could do for his safety is move him to a smaller village till he wishes to become a Genin, which I believe you said he would never do till his friends were Genin as well."

"Hai, he could probably become one now, with the combined teachings of Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, Ibiki, and myself. But he refuses to test until his friends test. His Chakra control is amazing, but I think that is from his constant practice of it. From what I have seen, he works on it at least three hours a day. His Chakra capacity puts most Jonin to shame right now, and maybe even yourself Sensei. His Jutsu library is growing quickly, right now I would say he has enough to be considered Chunin level in skill, even with the few Jonin level ones."

"Not only that, but the kid has a great mind when it comes to training, and Jutsu practice. When he is first taught a new Jutsu he does it in steps. First he will practice the seal order, he does this till he can do it fast enough to be effective in combat. Next he practices finding the right amount of Chakra to get the best result from the Jutsu. This happens with any Jutsu he learns, and each day along with his Chakra control. Once he does that, he combines the two, seal order, and Chakra to perform the actual Jutsu.

"The boy has a great mind when it comes to these things, and I think one of the best training regimes I have ever seen. It is a wonder he has never tested, with all his talk of becoming Hokage. But I suppose what Anko stated could be more then enough reason. Now if we could get him to work more into battle strategy and book works, he would be a force to be reckoned with in time."

"That is understandable.. But now on to more grave matters. It is a bit disturbing that you believe our old team mate is responsible for the actions that caused Naruto's problems. But this could only confirm the reports Jiraiya has been giving me concerning this. It saddens me to think that some of our own villagers would dare to act this way as well. But we will just have to stay vigilant in our efforts, and ensure that Naruto will be able to take care of himself. I assume, Jiraiya, that you have no leads into WHO or which group it could be?"

"Sadly, no, it is extremely hard to gather reliable information concerning this. The only thing we can do it wait for them to make a move, and hope it is not too late."

The Hokage only nodded in response, all the while wondering which of his flock were laying in wait.

"Well, I am glad you two made it out alive Anko. I am also relieved to hear that everything is okay, to be honest that surge of chakra from Kyubi had many of us fearing the worst. Thankfully everything is okay, well I guess that is a lie."

"Hokage-sama?" asked a confused and now worried Anko.

"Everything is more then okay, it's great! Hehe. Not only Naruto is now healed, but maybe now that Hospital will start to treat him with some respect! Tsunade-hime, I only ask one thing when you get to work on it, take care of Doctor Ohjiro, he may be young, but he will go far in the field."

"I've heard of him from Anko-chan, but I will have to reserve judgment till I meet him next week. But I think that is enough for now, we need to find Naruto soon, and get him home before something happens."

"AH yes, how true how true. Ibiki has truly out done himself this year Anko-chan, you see he has decided to throw a little surprise party for Naruto, by inviting some of his closest friends to it. You wouldn't believe how pushy they could be when Naruto was gone so long. Now didn't you say he went to Ichiraku's?"

"Hai"

"Well, he won't find anything to eat there, they actually closed down to help Ibiki with the food for the party tonight. Now Anko, why don't you round up Naruto, and meet us outside the tower. I still need to speak with Tsunade-hime and Jiraiya."

Anko bowed before she departed, and stepped out the doors to find Naruto waiting, and nervously glancing down the halls.

"Nee-chan.. Can we go home now.. I don't want to be here right now.. It's THAT day.. I want to go home and be with you and Aniki..". It was when Anko saw him at times like this that her heart broke. On any other day things like the looks he would get would not bother him. But today it always broke him.

Today held so many bad memories for Naruto, Anko could hardly imagine what he could be going through. But she had a feeling he might actually start to look forward to the day if what the Hokage said was true.

Slowly sitting down next to Naruto, and pulling him into a hug, she let him softly cry on her shoulder, while whispering everything would be okay.

"Naruto-kun, we will head home as soon as Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, and Shizune-chan are done talking with the Hokage. Then we will all head home.". This only earned her a small nod from the child that was currently leaning on her shoulder, trying to regain control of his feelings again. Even though she had lived with him for the last five six year, she still couldn't help but think of the many unasnwered questions.

'_How long was he abused in that Orphanage? How many times did they beat him, and make him suffer for something he had no knowledge of, and no choice in? To break a child like this on his own day of birth is just horrible.'

* * *

_

_**Hokage's office.**_

"Jiraiya, Tsunade, I have some news for you two, that you might be interested in.. But I have to warn you, there is currently only three people who know this, because I have made it a SS- ranked village secret, meaning only those approved by me may learn of this. No one on the council knows of this. So it is up to you two, as well as you Shizune-chan if you wish to hear it.", with this the mood in the room suddenly become very serious and tense.

Shizune looked between the Sandaime, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, wondering what she should do. After several minutes of thinking about it, she finally made up her mind. "Hokage-sama, I will stay, and I swear upon my life I will never tell another soul what we discuss her today."

"Good good, then please, everyone take a seat, you will need it.", he slowly reached up to a chain around his neck and removed what looked like a key. Once removed, he reached down the bottom right side of his desk, and unlocked a drawer, and pulled out a plain small envelope.

"Now I have already shared this news with Ibiki, and I would share it with Anko, but she has a habit of watering the local grapevines, if you know what I mean. It may not be needed though, as she has always been a rather bright girl despite her former mentor."

He received nods from all those present.

"Shortly after you left Jiraiya something came back to me that I have been waiting on for several years now. It was hard to track down, but Doctor Ohjiro was finally able to do it. You see I was interested to see who Naruto's parents were, and asked him to do a DNA search for anyone who might be related to him. Understandably, I asked him to check for a match among those Shinobi killed during the Kyubi attack.

"He found no match there, so I asked that he do a village wide search. This is where things get very interesting."

Tsunade had her interest peeked, as she knew how hard it would be for a single Doctor to do all of this, and still perform his regular duties. This Doctor must surely be devoted to his work to be able to do all of this.

"He found a match, but it was a sealed record, locked away down in the basement Archives, no name was on the computer file, just a number. As you may know, and Tsunade could back up, the only records down there are Clan Records, ANBU records, and those of the previous Hokage. So he spent a great deal of his free time searching the records down there for this, and finally found what we had been looking for.", with that he calmly handed the paper over to Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune.

* * *

_**Hokage Tower**_

Anko and Naruto had decided to wait down in the lobby for the others. So here they were, waiting. Thankfully they did not have to wait too long as they noticed Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sandaime coming down the stairs and heading towards them.

"Well then, Anko, Naruto-kun, shall we head to the house now? I'm sure you are ready to settle in finally.", asked the Sandaime as they walked up to the two, after gaining nods, the little group set off towards the woods.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune noticed the sudden change in Naruto's mood. He seemed almost dead to the world, no longer the happy boy he was just hours ago. Now it seemed as if he had the weight of the world upon his shoulders. They each gave Anko a look, one asking what was wrong, and if they could do anything to help. The only response they got from her was a gentle shaking of her head as she continued to hold onto Naruto.

After what seemed likes hours to Naruto they were finally there, home.

'_Finally, a safe place.. I can't wait to see Aniki again, and sleep in a real bed..'_

"**I know, but just wait, the day is almost over, so try to enjoy what's left of it."**

Naruto nodded his head as he slowly started to make his way towards the door. He was about to open the front door when he suddenly froze, his nose twitching, along with his ears.

"Nee-chan, someone's here.. I don't recognize the scent though.." With that Naruto reached down and pulled out his last kunai from his pouch, and slowly started to open the door. The entire time he failed to noticed the adults behind him turning red from holding back their laughter at his behavior.

Naruto slowly walked into the room, and decided to forgo taking his sandals off for now. Once out of the foyer, he walked into the dojo, nerves on edge, and senses working over time. His eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary in the Dojo, so he followed his nose to where the new scents were coming from, the dining hall and kitchen.

Slowly edging his way along the wall, he finally made it to the dining hall door, and prepared to slide it open. With a quick flick the door slid open, and he jumped into the room. As he jumped in, the lights, which were all off, were flicked on, and numerous people jumped out, and all hollered the same thing.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO!", to which Naruto quickly threw his kunai at the largest target in the room, and got into a fighting stance. That was when he heard the laughing. Not soft laughs, but side splitting laughs, and the sound of people rolling around on the floor. He turned to see Anko, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all rolling and laughing, with Anko pointing at him, and the Hokage quickly slipping something back into his robes.

Naruto looked back into the room he had just thrown his only weapon and suddenly realized what was so funny. Inside stood Tenten, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino, all was a stunned look on their face. He glanced to where he had thrown his kunai to see a man who looked very much like Choji, only older and much larger, passed out and leaning against the wall, and the kunai he had thrown stuck in the wall just an inch away from cutting into the side of the neck.

He then heard laughter coming from inside of the room, and noticed Ibiki, and what looked like a grown up Shikamaru laughing at the older Choji. There was also some blonde man, who Naruto could only guess was related to Ino in some way based on the hair and eyes doing the same while trying to wake his passed out friend up.

From the kitchen he noticed old man Ichiraku and Ayame, and followed closely by Iruka, coming out to see what the noise was about, both with larges pots of something that caught Naruto's nose.

He noticed these things, but yet they didn't register with him at that time. He had other things to do first.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY NEE-CHAN! I almost had a heart attack there!". Yelled Naruto to the three figures on the ground.

While Naruto was doing this, everyone inside of the dining room froze, at least those that knew Naruto the best. They couldn't be sure, but that new voice they heard sounded like it came from Naruto.

Slowly Ibiki, having heard the reports from the Hokage, walked towards Naruto, and placed a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down. "Otouto, calm down now, you don't want to scare your friends now do you?"

"Aniki? What are you talking about?", that was when Naruto turned around and saw everyone clearly, and then things he saw previously finally registered in his mind. '_Hinata-chan, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, what the hell is she doing here, Tenten, Old man Ichiraku, Ayame-nee-chan, Ohjiro-san, and everyone's parents…'_

"Aniki.." was all Naruto got out before he jumped up and hugged Ibiki, and softly cried into his shoulder, hoping no one saw what he was doing. "Thank you Aniki. Thank You.."

"Hush now Naruto, you don't want to keep all your friends waiting do you? They were all worried about you. They wouldn't stop pestering Iruka, Hokage-sama, or myself. I figured you could use this finally, so enjoy it. We can talk later about the things that seemed to have changed.", whispered Ibiki to Naruto as he gently placed him back down on the ground.

"_**He's right, you need to enjoy yourself on this day for once, and do it with your friends, as well as your family."**_

Naruto nodded and wiped what he could of his tears away as he turned towards his friends, who were all waiting in the dining room for him. Putting on a genuine smile, he walked in.

"Hinata-_chan_, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten-chan, Ayame-nee-chan, Ino, what are you guys doing here?", when everyone heard the voice again, but this time they were sure is had to be _his_ voice. It seemed to of had a strange effect on the people present.

Ino was surprised that he had such a nice voice.

Choji, just looked at Naruto, and wondered if he ate something bad at first. But then he noticed the shocked looks on everyone else's faces. Slowly he started to smile at his friend, happy that he finally got a voice to speak with.

Shikamaru, while a genius, was still stunned. So being the smart person he was, he tried to figure out what had just happened. _'Genjutsu? Maybe, but what would be the point of it? Still, better to be safe then sorry.'_ With that he put his hands in the ram seal, and said, "KAI", when nothing changed, except the looks everyone was giving him, he just grinned at his friends, and mumbled something about troublesome people.

Tenten was wondering how he was able to talk now, but still happy he was able to. _'Good, now I don't have to read any more scrolls! I know Naruto was getting tired of writing in them too.'_ She too, started to smile at her friend, and then grinned over towards Hinata as she noticed the effects it had on her.

Ayame smiled, pleased that one of his wishes finally came true.

Hinata was affected the most out of all of them. When she heard his voice it felt hypnotic. She was mesmerized by it, and then slowly what was said started to come back to her.

'_Hinata_-chan_! He called me Hinata-chan, and called me first! His voice is so lovely.. I could listen to him all day.. Almost as peaceful as a stream, but holds back the power of a river.. Naruto-kun…'_

She continued to look at Naruto, with a dark red gracing her cheeks as she was glad he was okay, and seemed to be better then before.

"Isn't it obvious baka? We are here for your birthday. It seems your Aniki invited all of us, and have to say Naruto, nice house.", came from Ino.

"Like she said, we are here for our friend's birthday, even though it is just too troublesome…", this earned Shikamaru several lumps on his head from Ino and Tenten.

"Hey man, it's great to see you again, you have to tell us what's happened to you!", exclaimed the pleasantly plump Akimichi.

"Yeah, you have to tell us all about what trouble you got in to, then you can tell me why you never mentioned me to your other friends!", yelled Tenten, while pulling a paper fan out of no where, and making Naruto back away from her.

"N-N-Naruto-kun! W-we all m-missed you very much.", said the shy Hyuga, as she bowed her head to avoid Naruto seeing her blush. The whole time Naruto couldn't help but look at her, and think one thing.

'_Wow, she's really cute when she does that.'_

With that thought, he quickly looked away, with his very own dark red hue creeping across his face, which did not go unnoticed by the younger Kunoichi in the room.

"Naruto-kun, it's good to see you and Anko-san are okay, father was worried he had lost his best customers.", said Ayame as she smiled at the blushing Hinata, and now the blushing Naruto as he thought about Hinata.

"First thing you have to do is tell us how you can talk now. I mean, you leave for over six weeks, and come back with a voice that any girl would want to hear. I mean you sound better then Sasuke-kun." Choji and Shikamaru could only groan at Ino's choice of words.

"Gee, thanks guys, I have SO much to tell you.. Well what I'm allowed to. I meet some cool people while I was gone too, like Ero-Sennin, Tsunade-Baa-chan, and Shizune-nee-chan! Ero-Sennin is a Super pervert, so be careful Hinata-chan, Tenten-chan, Nee-chan. He was always trying to.."

"Brat! What did I tell you about calling me that! The name is Jiraiya or Jiraiya-sama, not _Ero-Sennin!_ Get that through your thick skull!.", yelled Jiraiya as he knocked Naruto upside the head a couple of times for good measure.

"Kuso.. You old pervert! Ero-Sennin I'm going to SO kick your butt again!"

"You got lucky last time brat! You would never catch me like that again!"

"Jiraiya! Get your perverted butt over here, and leave the kids alone!", shouted Tsunade from the other side of the room, where all the adults were gathered.

"Haha, Ero-Sennin, you better hurry before she gets you again like on the boat!", as Naruto yelled to the back of Jiraiya, every one could see him tense up, and start to shake like a frightened animal.

"Naruto, you said Tsunade.. Do you mean THE Tsunade..! Please Naruto, tell me you mean Tsunade-sama, the strongest Kunoichi in all the Elemental Countries!", shouted Tenten as she ran over to Naruto and started to shake him violently.

Her actions caused several things to happen. First was getting the attention of everyone else in the house. The adults all watched as she continued to shake Naruto, in attempts to get an answer from him. The children were all looking on in fear, and awe. Hinata was afraid because it looked like she was starting to shake Naruto to death. Already his eyes were rolled back, and what looked like foam started to form at the corner of his mouth, with his tongue sticking out.

"How troublesome.. I think you killed him with all that shaking Tenten.".

As soon as Shikamaru said this Tenten dropped Naruto rather roughly down on the ground and dropped to her knees, the whole time saying, "I am so sorry Naruto! Please be okay, Please okay!". Hinata was close to tears, and Ino looked like she was about to pass out. Choji and Shikamaru just looked at each other, as if wondering which of the two would do something first.

The adults were on the other side of the room laughing at the young blonde's expense, though Ayame, who wondered over after greeting Naruto, looked worried.

Everyone was jerked away from their thoughts as something strange started to happen to Naruto though. While Tenten and Hinata, she mostly trying to prevent form crying, were looking over the body trying to help him it suddenly became nothing but a puddle of red water.

The children all gasped at the red liquid at their feet, and Hinata lost her battle as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Everyone started to look around the room, and they heard, "**Itadakimasu!", **almost at once their gazes fell upon the blonde sitting at a table surrounded by ramen bowls, plates, and sticks.

"Man! This is some great food! All of my favorites too! Aniki, your cooking is still one of the best around!", shouted Naruto as he continued to eat. While he was eating he never noticed the sudden spike of anger coming from behind him, centering on Tenten and Ino, with Tenten pulling out her paper fan and walking over towards Naruto.

"UZU-MA-KI NA - RU - TO!", shouted Tenten before she took a swing with her fan, with the intent to behead him for the stunt.

When Naruto realized what was going on he let out a soft "eeep!" before he quickly ducked under the swing and crawled under the table, and out the other side. "Tenten.. Ino… hehe.. That was all just a joke.. No hard feelings! I had to get out of there before you killed me like you did my **Mizu Bushin**. So calm do… because if you don't I can't tell you some great news that I have.. I mean REALLY great news, news that would make you flip out…", by now he was on his knees begging Tenten in hopes of being left alive long enough to deliver the news.

Tenten stopped her attacks and looked at the pleading Naruto, and pondered the idea of sending him to the hospital, or hearing him out.

'_On one hand, I can give him what he deserves for making us all worry about him for these last few weeks, and then pulling that cheap stunt with a _**Mizu Bushin**_. Wait, a _**Mizu Bushin!**_ When did he learn that, and when did he do it? Could it have something to do with what he was talking about?'_

"Fine. But it better be worth not beating your head in. If it isn't, then there won't be enough left of you for even Tsunade-sama to put back together.", behind her Naruto could see Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru nodding in agreement, and was that Hinata crying…

'_Crap.. I made her cry.. I always hated seeing her cry like that…'_

"Uh, Hinata-chan? It's okay… I.. Um I didn't mean to make you cry or anything. I just made a **Mizu Bushin** out of the punch, so nothing to worry about.", his words had no effect on her, but caused many others to raise an eyebrow.

'_Oh man.. She is still crying, what do I do? Nee-chan any ideas?'_

"**Well I have one idea.. But I do not know if you would do it or not.."**

'_I'll do anything to get Hinata-chan from crying'_

Hearing this, Hikari could only grin as she thought of how she could use this to help Naruto's feelings along.

"**Anything? Are you sure?"**

'_YES! Just tell me already..'_

"**Okay, first thing you do is walk over to her…."**

Naruto slowly walked over towards Hinata, and continued to do what Hikari had told him to do. He slowly got down on his knees besides Hinata, and gently called her name out. Not getting a response, he continued on with what he was told to do.

The whole time this was going on, the other kids couldn't help but wonder what he was doing, with two silently hoping something romantic would happen. The adults on the other side of the room just watched in interest. With Ibiki giving a questioning look to Anko, who only smiled and nodded to him.

Tsunade was smiling as well, thinking of how much fun it would be to tease Naruto. Shizune had a soft, gentle smile on her face as she watched the scene unfold before her.

Choza, Shikaku, and Inoichi watched, both happy and slightly afraid of what Hiashi might do if he heard about what might be getting ready to happen. Sarutobi also smiled, having seen the concern on the young Hyuga's face each time they came to him. He had foreseen something like this occurring between the two, and was glad that they had the same feelings. Though he never would have thought it would happen this early. Still, that would never stop him from taking pictures for the little photo album that they had started for Naruto. So he quickly fished out the camera hidden in his robes and prepared for a touching photo.

Iruka grinned, as he now had something to blackmail Naruto with, or embarrass the young blonde. Jiraiya was grinning, and quickly pulled out his new notebook, and was about to start writing before he was quickly sent face first into the ground by Tsunade, who stomped down on his hands just to make sure.

"Hinata-chan, I'm sorry. Please don't cry, I hate seeing you cry.", he gently said as he slowly wrapped his arms around and pulled her towards him, so that her head was resting on his shoulder. He loosely held her, whispering everything would be okay, and asking her to stop crying.

Sarutobi quickly took a picture of the moment, and all of the Kunoichi, and all women in the room just let out an "awe" at the touching scene in front of them. Some younger boys just started to snicker, and Choji was brave enough to venture telling them to "get a room".

Once Naruto and Hinata heard that, they both snapped out of the trance they seemed to be in. Both quickly leapt back away from each other, and stumbled over their own feet. The end result was both of them falling flat on their backs, and resembling tomatoes as they realized what just happened.

'_Nee-chan! Why did you tell me to do that?'_

"_**You said you would do anything to stop her from crying. And well, she isn't crying any more."**_

'_Yeah but what if she thinks I'm a pervert now! What if she hated that!'_

"_**Naru-chan.. Does it look like she hated the hug? Besides, you did nothing wrong."**_

'_Well no but..'_

"_**Hush, and talk to her, not me."**_

"H-h-Hinata-chan.. I'm s-sorry I-I don't know what I was doing.."

While Naruto seemed to take the situation very well, Hinata was still in dreamland.

"_Naruto-kun.. H-he hugged me! I-I hugged NARUTO-KUN! Does this mean h-he likes me? Please don't let this be a cruel dream.. Kami-sama please!'_

She started to finally come back from cloud nine and saw Naruto blushing, and heard him trying to apologize for what he did. She looked around the room and saw Choji and Shikamaru grinning, while Tenten and Ino just winked at her.

The adults weren't much better. She noticed all the older women was smiling at her, and she even got what looked like nods of encouragement from Anko, Tsunade, Shizune, and Ayame. She couldn't help but smile seeing how they accepted it, but still blushed when she realized how many people, and who they were, had seen them.

"N-n-Naruto-kun, I-it's okay.. I-I- um…"

"She means she didn't mind lover boy.. But next time you pull a stunt like that you have to answer to us.", interrupted Tenten, as she and Ino walked over to help Hinata up, and hopefully calm her down before she fainted. The two bent down and whispered something to Hinata that even Naruto, with his advanced hearing, couldn't pick up. But he could see the effects of it as Hinata started to glow red, and Tenten and Ino giggled.

Naruto blushed, and muttered something that sounded like, "what are friends for", which was just barely picked up by Choji and Shikamaru.

Over with the adults, similar things were going on, though the Ino-Shika-Cho team had other feelings. They had seen how Hiashi had demanded Naruto's death several times at meetings of the Clan heads and very recently become more adamant about it, only to be cut off by the Hokage. If he was to hear about this, there would be no telling how he would react.

Even with that thought in their minds, they still couldn't help but smile at the scene they just witnessed.

"They almost look like the perfect couple eh Inoichi. Now if we could only get our kids to find someone. Knowing my son though, he would think love is too "troublesome". But I think he gets that from me and his mom."

Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza all shared a laugh at this, since both Nara men were very afraid of bossy women.

"Okay now, enough of the romancing. Didn't Ibiki call you all here for a party?", shouted Anko.

Each of the kids present looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They were there for a party, one of the first ones they had the pleasure of going to for a good friend. It was times to enjoy themselves and catch up.

"What was the "great news" you had for us Naruto?", asked Tenten as she rejoined the group at the tables, along with Ino and a still blushing Hinata.

"Yeah spill it, or me and Tenten will have to make you work for being able to hug Hinata again." added Ino, causing both Hinata and Naruto to invent new shades of red as blood rushed to their faces.

After calming down some, Naruto finally started to tell them some of what he could about where he had been. He had already talked with Anko, and the other to ask them what he could say, and what he couldn't. So knowing this, he purposely left some things out. Such as the events about Zabuza, and the purpose of the mission, as well as the information about Hikari.

As he told his story he would pause to answer questions he was able to. Others he was never able to come up with a lie, so he had to be honest with them and tell them that he couldn't discuss that right then. This of course caused some groans of complaints, but one look over to the Hokage, and the other adults present silenced them.

When he got to the part about the bet with Tsunade, Tenten was at first upset about Naruto using her nickname, as well as calling her old, but calmed down when Naruto started to say what the spoils were for the winner.

"So, after we made the bet, we decided on who would get what should the other person win. At first she didn't want to risk the bet, since she didn't think I had anything worth taking. But when I mentioned what I did in my spare time she changed her tune real quick, and wanted to try to claim all the money I have in my bank account. Yeah I think I would have been killed though if I lost that money, since Aniki, Nee-chan, and myself all use it.. So I'm glad I won."

Tenten gawked at this, as she new very well how much Naruto had, and had mentioned the past time to the others. So it didn't take long for the faster of the young group to realize what was at stake should Naruto lose.

"What did she give up if you would win Naruto?", asked Choji after he over came his shock.

"Hehe, well that is the great news you guys. I told her that if I won, she would have to do something for me."

"Well come on already! We don't have all night you know!" yelled Ino as Naruto dragged it on.

"Dang, can't I have some fun? But fine.. I told Baa-chan that if I win, she has to train me…"

"WHAT! You couldn't think about your friends too! Naruto-no-baka! You know how much I have wanted to meet her! I'll kill you!", shouted Tenten as she started to jump over the table to strangle Naruto, only to be held back by Shikamaru and Choji.

"Tenten! You didn't let me finish! I told her she would have to train me and my FRIENDS till we become Genin!. So sit down you crazy panda!"

"What! You mean.. she is going to train us? All of us? YEEEEEESSSSS! You're great Naruto! The best friend I could ever have!",shouted Tenten as she jumped over the table to grab Naruto into a bear hug.

"Ack! No problem Ten---ten. But you really got to stop doi--ng this. You are going to choke me to death one of these days!."

Tenten quickly let Naruto go, and sat down in her seat again, bouncing around at the thought of being able to train with her idol.

"Yeah.. She is going to train us all till we become Genin.. At the time though I didn't know anything about you Ino.. I wasn't sure how you saw me or anything. But since you are here now, I shouldn't have any trouble talking her into including you. Plus, since she is a sore loser, Ero-Sennin will be helping, along with Shizune-nee-chan.

"Both are great Medic-nin, so they might be able to help you a lot Hinata-chan! They really liked the salves and ointments I showed them. Hehe, Baa-chan even wants to include some of it in field packs for some of the Medic-nins we have!"

Hinata brought her small hands to her mouth as she gasped at the news Naruto brought. She couldn't believe someone thought that much of her work, at least someone who she didn't know, let alone someone that is as respected as Tsunade.

"Na-Naruto-kun.. Th-thank you..", whispered the shy girl.

As the kids were talking, the grown ups were doing the same. Anko filling in Ibiki on what happened, as well as Jiraiya and Tsunade. Inoichi, Shikaku and Choza could hardly believe some of the things they heard from Anko, such as Naruto putting up a fight with Zabuza, and the Demon Brothers.

But not all was well. They were also afraid, the same went for Iruka, Dr. Ohjiro, Teuchi, and Ayame. When Anko started to describe the wounds Zabuza inflicted upon Naruto, it came close to bringing Ayame to tears, and Iruka was shaking with a barely suppressed rage. Ibiki was growling lowly as he knew all too well about Zabuza's history. He had heard of, and seen The Mist Demon's handy work. To say he was surprised at the outcome, and relieved would be an understatement. Each of the people present were often stealing glances at Naruto.

As the story continued from there, the tellers changed, or others stepped in to fill in portions, or add their own two cents. The story telling changing from Anko, to Tsunade/Shizune, to Jiraiya, or a combination of the four at parts. They were careful to leave out some details, such as Naruto's change, but other then that, everyone was trusted, and had the Hokage's approval to hear some of the details.

Naturally when it came to the first meeting between Naruto, Tsunade, and Jiraiya every one had a few good laughs.

"I tried to tell you Jiraiya, not to do anything perverted when you were around him. But did you listen to me? Of course not. You never did listen to me, even as a Genin."

"If I didn't listen to you then Sarutobi-sensei, what made you think I would listen now?"

"Experience. Thanks to Anko here, as well as another sister of his, he has a special spot for people like you.. "

"Don't forget yourself Sensei.", interrupted Jiraiya.

"Erm..", the Third cleared his throat, trying to distract from his hobby, "As I was saying, he tends to be rather violent to certain types of people. Poor Kakashi hardly gets a chance to read when he does some of the patrolling and guard duty around here. If memory serves me correct, to date he has destroyed enough of your books to fill a book store."

'_Besides, I'm smart enough not to do it in front of the boy.'_

Hearing this Jiraiya took on an entirely new look. He looked sad that someone had deprived his readers of his wonderful work. At the same time, more then a little angry that a ten year old brat would take it upon himself to destroy his works of art.

"Why that no good little whelp! Here I am teaching him, and he is going around destroying my MAGNIFICENT NOVELS!" shouted Jiraiya, only to be interrupted by the target of his rant.

"Hey Ero-Sennin, mind shutting up! Not all of us want to hear a rant from a Super-pervert. Besides those things are nothing but kindling!"

"Why you little!", yelled Jiraiya as he started to jump over towards Naruto. Before he could leave the ground though Tsunade had a hold of him with one of her hands raised above her head, stopping any complaints from Jiraiya immediately.

"Why don't you both quit yelling. Now we came for a birthday party, so how about we have some birthday cake? Then we can move to the presents, I am guessing you got him one right Jiraiya?"

Tsunade asked the last sentence with an evil glint in her eye.

'_Kuso! She must know I haven't got him a present yet. What am I going to do.. Tsunade will kill me if I try to make it a Jutsu, unless it was a really good Jutsu.. But I don't think he is ready for my trump ones, and I taught him all the Suiton and Futon ones that I know. He refuses to learn Katon, and he doesn't like Doton Jutsus that much.. '_

While he was busy thinking he failed to notice everyone moving towards one of the larger tables, and the group start to take seats around it, with Naruto in the middle.

Everyone was sitting down at the table, with Naruto in the center, to his right was Hinata (forced there by Tenten and Ino), Choji, Iruka, Ohjiro, and finally Ayame. To Naruto's left was Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, Shizune, and Ton-Ton.

Directly across from Naruto sat Tsunade, with Choza, Inoichi, and Shikaku on her right. To her left were two empty spots, followed by Teuchi, Jiraiya, and the Sandaime.

Everyone turned towards the kitchen door as it swung open to reveal Anko and Ibiki walking out both holding the birthday cake, and bringing it to the table to set it in front of Naruto before taking their seats next to Tsunade.

The cake itself was a simple one, considering the occasion, but looked great none the less. It was about the same width as the table, and almost as long as Naruto is tall. It looked to be a double layered cake, and must have weighed a bit if both Anko and Ibiki had to carry/roll it in on a cart.

The icing on the cake was brown and green, and the design on the cake set to look like the forest surrounding Konoha. In the center of the cake was the Hokage Monument, except there was a fifth face, Naruto's. The sides of the cake had what looked like shurikens running along the length, and kunai running the width. The edges had icing piped out to look like a bunch of bushes to surround the entire thing. Underneath the design of the Monument there was red icing piped out to read, "Happy Birthday Naruto, our future Hokage!".

Naruto had never seen such a large cake before, since majority of his birthdays had been spent with a small group. Never before did he think a cake could be this large, but then again he had never been to a birthday party at the Akimichi's. Naruto was in awe of the cake, from the size, to the design and details put on it. Looking around, he could see the same looks on many of the faces of those gathered.

On a few of them though was another look, one that showed how happy they were for this moment. Those were the few who knew the life Naruto had lead up until now. Those few being the Hokage, Tsunade, Anko, Ibiki, Teuchi, Ayame, Dr. Ohjiro, Iruka, and surprising for once, Jiraiya. But the one that touched him the most was the look on Hinata's face next to him.

She had a soft gentle smile upon her face, her eyes seemed to be filling with tears waiting to be shed. Though she did not know how harsh his life truly has been, she knew what it was like from her perspective. So she was truly happy that she could be there for one of the happiest moments in his life.

Naruto himself was beaming. His first birthday with his best friends, and what he considers his family. He would remember this for the rest of his life.

Slowly everyone started to sing

"_Happy Birthday to You_

_Happy Birthday to You_

_Happy Birthday to Naruto(-kun, baka, brat, **-chan**)_

_Happy Birthday to You."_

Naruto sat there looking at the candles, and everyone around him, with a smile on his face, one of his true smiles that few of his friends have seen. Slowly he took in a breathe of air, and held it while he thought about what he wanted to wish for.

Slowly, he released the breathe blowing out all of the candles, the whole time thinking to himself.

'_I wish that me and my friends will stay together forever.'_

As he blew the candles out the room erupted into cheers and laughter as Tenten, with the help of Ino managed to push Naruto's face first into the cake, causing more laughter, and a few groans, mostly from Choji and Choza.

Naruto managed to raise his head up from the cake, covered in brown, green, black and white icing with a big grin plastered on his face as he blinked his eyes open. He started to laugh along with everyone else at the act, as he started cleaning the icing off of his face, and eat what he wanted from it while he was at it.

After several minutes of this, and more then a few towels, everyone was finally able to eat what was left of the cake as the chatted about random topics.

Naruto sat in his spot beside Hinata, a bouncing ball of energy as he couldn't wait for the presents from his friends. That still didn't stop him from asking about what has been going on at the Academy, or taking little glances at Hinata, and turning away blushing.

When he tried to steal another glance at her he noticed her being pulled away by Ino and Tenten, with Shikamaru and Choji moving closer to talk with him.

"Man Naruto, you never told me that you had such a cool Brother! I heard him telling my Dad that he made just about all of the dinner himself, along with the cake! Man for a someone who scares the pants off most people, he can really cook!"

"Yeah, don't tell him I said this, but he really is a big softy here at home. Him and I do most of the cooking too, since Nee-chan could burn water if she tried. But make no mistake, he can still be pretty scary looking when he wants to, like when I don't finish my vegetables and all.."

"Sounds just like my troublesome Mom. Man she even scares my Dad at times, when she gets in a mood and wants something done, she won't stop till you do it. How my Dad puts up with, or why he married such a troublesome woman I'll never know. But that could just be why she has him whipped too."

"Haha, you just say that because your afraid of girls Shikamaru. Watch, once you find the right one you won't think that!"

"Yeah, sure Naruto. Speaking of that. You seem to be pretty close to Hinata now, anything you want to tell your best friends?".

Hearing this, and thinking back to the hug caused Naruto's face to start to glow. Shikamaru and Choji both started to laugh at the look on Naruto's face.

"It's.. I mean I… We're just.. Gah.. I mean.." Naruto couldn't help but stumble over words as he tried to figure out how to respond to the question.

"_**Just answer truthfully, after all, you say the wrong thing, and you might hurt poor Hinata-chan's feelings."**_

'_But I don't know how to say it.. And I am defiantly not going to say what you say this time!'_

"Don't worry Naruto, we know you like her, and it's honestly about time you noticed her. Out of all of us, she was the one worried the most about you."

"Yeah, when we didn't hear anything from you after everyone started acting weird we all started to get worried. But no one was going to tell us anything, but Hinata kept taking us to the Hokage, and bringing us here to try to find something out.

"Then when your brother stopped by our houses to invite us here, you have no idea how relieved we were, Hinata most of all. So if you know what's good for you, you'll tell her how you feel. Sure we might be a little young for all the mushy stuff, but still doesn't mean you can't tell her how you feel. Otherwise things would just be too troublesome between you two." Choji was nodding in agreement with his dark haired friend from beside Naruto.

"Shikamaru.. You really know how to try to put things in perspective for a guy don't you? Honestly.. I'm not sure what I feel.. But I know I feel something. It just kind of scares me I guess. Not knowing if she really does like me, or if my mind is just playing tricks on me.

"But from what everyone keeps telling me, she does like me. I'm mostly afraid of how her Dad and family would react. I mean the guy is a real snob, as are many of the others in her clan."

"We are not telling you to fall madly in love, just give it a try. From the way you reacted to the hug, it's fairly obvious the feelings are strong. But give it time, and wait to see what happens, I know she would enjoy that. Besides, her Dad can't be that bad if she is here now."

Naruto nodded to Shikamaru, knowing he was right, but he still couldn't help but feel worried about how this would play out. Would people hate Hinata if she was seen around him more? What would her family think, since they already hate him. He had too many thoughts going through his head to realize that Shikamaru and Choji had moved away, and Ibiki and Anko took their places.

Everyone seemed to be gather back around the table now, each bringing some form of present with them. Slowly everyone gathered back around the table, with most of the older members of the party on one side of the table, and the younger members on the other with Naruto.

As Hinata was about to take a seat at the end, Anko pulled her over to sit next to her, with a soft "epp" from Hinata, and some laughs from Ino and Anko. The Sandaime stood up from where he was sitting and gently cleared his throat.

"Well, it has been a long night, filled with many laughs, and it seems that other things are in the air as well.", he paused here as he looked toward Naruto and then Hinata. "We are here tonight to celebrate Naruto's eleventh birthday, and what a day it has been. Normally on such days it is customary to bring gifts for him, how ever today he has brought back two gifts for Konoha."

Some of the older generation gave a brief round of applause at this. "Thanks to Naruto, Tsunade-hime, and Jiraiya have returned to our little village, and have decided to stay for a short time. With Tsunade-hime's help, we will be starting up a Medic-nin program for those who wish to explore that area of Shinobi life. With her help as well as Shizune, her apprentice, we may be able to full fill a long lost goal, one where every team, be it Genin, Chunin, Jonin, ANBU, or Hunter-nin, shall have a Medic-nin with them."

Once again mainly the older generation clapped, except this time there was a few of the younger ones mixed in, mainly Hinata, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Tenten. Each with there own reasons to cheer.

'_I will become strong to make Naruto-kun proud, and to help. Then maybe the clan will see me the same way.'_

'_Great! Baa-chan is going to stay. Hinata-chan will really like being a Medic-nin, with her Byakugan, and her caring nature, she is perfect for one.'_

'_It makes sense to have a Medic on each team, it would probably cut down on the mortality rate. This would give us a larger number of Shinobi in reserve in case a war or some attack should occur.'_

'_YES! Tsunade-sama will be here to teach! Now I can take her classes, and learn to be a great Kunoichi like her!'_

"As for my other student Jiraiya.. Well at least he is back with us, and not roaming the land. So we must at least be grateful for that, if nothing else." Hearing this, Jiraiya could be heard grumbling about aging Sensei's being ungrateful.

"Now, I think this old man has talked enough, I think it is time we gave Naruto his gifts, so with out further delay let's begin.", after this he took his seat, and got his handy little camera ready for the opening of the presents.

The first to present their present to Naruto was Tenten, which was wrapped in plain paper, but was about the size of a regular clothing box.

"Naruto, this is from me and Dad. He would have liked to have been here, but he couldn't close the store.. So I hope you like the gift, you are one of the first to get it!"

Naruto smiled at Tenten, and nodded.

'_I really need to buy a lot of things from them.. With out Tenten to help out they are probably losing a lot of business. I know they can't afford to either..'_

Naruto opened the package to see what looked to be weights, one set looked like they were designed to wrap around his forearms, while the others were designed to go around his lower legs. The weights themselves were colored black, and didn't seem like they would get in the way during a fight. The way they attached looked to be designed for quick release on the run, so the user would not need to waste valuable time trying to remove them. After removing them from the package, he looked over to Tenten, to see if there was more to them.

"Now you probably guessed something was special about them, and you are right there is. These weights are a new type being made now. They are Chakra weights, which depending on your Chakra reserves, raises the weight. So obviously, the larger your Chakra reserves, the heavier they will be. I figured this would be easier for you to use instead of regular weights. To be able to move around with the weight, you will have to use chakra to reinforce your body."

"So this is almost like a continuous Chakra control exercise, just what I need. With the training from Baa-chan this will be great! Hey, Ero-Sennin, you better watch out!"

Hearing this caused many people around the table to snicker, Tsunade, Anko, Sandaime, Iruka, and Ibiki all could barely hold back their laughs at the news of the new weights. It didn't take long though for the words to sink into Jiraiya as he remember the last time Naruto had released his weights in a fight.

'_Kuso! With those things, and Tsunade's strength training. _gulp _I'm dead.'_

"Wh-what's s-so f-funny?", stuttered out Hinata at the laughter from the people near her.

"Oh nothing Hinata-chan, nothing at all." answered Anko in an all too sweet sounding voice.

And so the presents went, with the parents of the Ino-Shika-Cho team giving him kunai and shuriken, along with Teuchi. Naruto was glad to have more shuriken and kunai, since he ran out during the mission to Water Country, and had yet to restock. He also knew the stock he kept in his room was low too, so this killed two birds with one stone for him.

Ayame came up to Naruto with a medium sized box, wrapped in paper with different flavors of ramen across it, and ribbon that looked like noodles holding the box together. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at the look on Naruto's face as he saw the present, and jumped up and wrapped Ayame in a hug, all the while saying, "Thanks Ayame-chan!", then releasing her and quickly grabbing the present.

Naruto gave Ayame a chance to regain her composure before tearing open the present, while trying to save the cool ramen wrapping paper. Once unwrapped, Naruto pulled the box open to see a white long sleeve turtleneck t-shirt, with a red spiral flame design in the center of the front, back, and on the shoulders. The shirt itself looked like it might be a little small, but it was in fact made to fit the wearer tightly, as to show off muscles.

Under the shirt was a black, crimson, and silver jumpsuit. The only difference between it and other jumpsuits being that the top was sleeveless, and looked more like a vest then anything. The collar that covered the neck was silver. The portion from the shoulders up was a crimson, or dark red color, with the rest of the vest, and pants being black. The pants also had crimson stripping running down the middle of the legs. On the back of the vest, as well as right over where the heart would be, was a red/orange and silver swirl/whirlpool, that Naruto has taken up as his symbol.

"I hope you like them Naruto-kun, I wasn't sure about how to do the colors, but I tried to get your favorites ones all on there at the same time. I tried to take everything into consideration when I was having them made for you."

"I love them! I am going to have to go back and get more made, maybe in different color schemes too, with different shirts to go on underneath.."

"I'm happy you liked them, I'd be happy to take you to get more Naruto-kun. Who knows, maybe matching outfits for you and someone else.."

Hearing this both Naruto and Hinata blushed, but both failed to see the other doing it for the same reason.

Iruka grinned as he walked over to Naruto with a polished cherry wood case. The case itself was about three feet in length, and about a foot wide. Giving a quick grin, and a word of thanks to the his Sensei, Naruto quickly took the case, and opened it.

The inside of the case was lined with a red cushion, with what looked like two item resting inside of the cushion. The items were covered by a red clothe, that hid them from view perfectly. Naruto looked at Iruka with a confused look on his face, and received a nod telling him to continue looking. Taking the advice, Naruto pulled the clothe away from the items to see two perfectly crafted Tonfas. Not just any Tonfa either, but bladed ones, pitch black, with only the edge of the blade reflecting a small amount of light. The handles of the Tonfas were wrapped in red leather, and just big enough for his hands, with room to grow.

The Tonfas themselves were nearly two feet long, and after lifting them out of the box, barely seemed to weigh anything. Naruto slowly gripped the handles and gave them a few test twists, feeling almost like a natural movement.

"I hope you like them Naruto, I had to get them custom made for you. From what I know the forging process was done in a way to reinforce the metal, but also make it light enough to not be a problem. The blade should stay sharp for a great deal of time." Iruka couldn't help but smile at the look Naruto was giving him.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei! How did you know I wanted a pair of Tonfas though?"

Grinning, Iruka looked over towards Ibiki, who just nodded to Naruto and Iruka.

Smiling, Naruto gently placed the Tonfas back inside of their case, and gently set it down under the table, and out of the way. Naruto looked around to see who else was left, noticing that he still had a few more to go before the night was over. Seeing this he let out ones of his true smiles, one that meant he was truly happy.

"Naruto, I thought about getting you some kunai or shuriken, but kind of got beat to it by my dad.. Plus my mom was being a pain about this. So I got something I thought you would enjoy, seeing how I always beat you at _Go_."

With that Shikamaru walked over to Naruto, and handed him a small book that read, "Learning How to Play _Go_: Basic Strategies and Tactics By Fujiwara-no Sai"

"He is a famous _Go_ player, who pretty much is the master of the game. If anyone can teach you how to play better it would be him."

Naruto grinned at Shikamaru, knowing he had tried to put some effort into the present. But what he said was true, Shikamaru ruled the _Go_ board at the Academy.

"Thanks you lazy bum, I could use the help."

Smiling, Shikamaru sat back down in his spot and nudged Ino to go next.

"Um, I wasn't really sure about what to get you Naruto.. Last time we meet we were not really friends and all, so I hardly knew anything about you. But from what I've heard from Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, and Tenten you really seem like a great person, and I'm sorry I didn't see that before.

"So when I heard about the party I wracked my brain to figure out what to get you. It wasn't easy let me tell you, since even they knew something about you, but not much due to your little problem before. But I knew one thing for sure, you liked to garden, or so Hinata told me. So I thought you might need so new tools or something."

With that Ino reached over and handed Naruto a leather bundle.

"Thanks Ino. The past is the past, let's just hope we can be good friends in the future.", and so Naruto took the bundle, and smiled at Ino as he sat back down to open it. As he opened it he noticed two pairs for shears for pruning and trimming the plants. Unrolling it more, he found a trowel and a small rake, each one of the tools shining as only brand new tools could.

"Thanks Ino, I've been meaning to get some new tools, but I kind of always spent my money on other things…"

"Like dango and ramen for you and Anko?", growled out Ibiki, causing Naruto to send a quick glare, as well as Anko. Everyone else just laughed at the antics of the little family.

"Well that and other things.. I mean makibishi are not cheap, the same with gun powder, and the ingredients I needed for my flash bangs.."

"Sure. Just make sure you keep those blasted flash bangs of yours away from me from now on, or else you'll just wish all I did was ground you.", growled out Ibiki once again as he remembered the first test Naruto did with it.

"Um sure Aniki."

As Ino took her seat once again, Choji stood up and leaned over to hand Naruto his present.

"I've hardly been to any birthday parties asides from Shikamaru's and Ino's, even then though my parents help me with the presents. But since this was my first time to your party, I wanted to do it myself, that way it would mean more. You've done a lot for me since we first meet, and I was never sure how to say thanks.

"But I knew one thing for sure. Kunai, shuriken, or ramen coupons could never say thanks the way I want to. So I was stuck on trying to figure out what to do, and spent more time thinking about this in the past week then I did my school work…", he paused as he looked towards his dad and Iruka with a guilty look, "Sorry Dad, Iruka-sensei."

Both of the mentioned men just nodded to the young boy.

"So yeah.. My gift is strictly my own, with very little help in picking it out from the others. In a way it is kind of for all of use. It may seem corny, but I thought it was the best way to show how our friendship is."

With those final words, Choji reached down into a bag he had brought with him, and handed out small cases to Ino, Tenten, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru, and taking one out for himself. After each one exchanged a curious glance with the others, they all started to open their cases.

Inside of each case was a necklace, with a small kunai attached. The kunai itself was about as long as Choji's middle finger, and as wide as his ring and middle finger at the ring and blade portions of the weapon. Looking closely at the ring of the kunai each one could see their names, as well as their friends name engraved upon the weapon going in a circle.

To wear the kunai, there was a simple leather thong that could be used for each to tie it off and hang around their neck, or around their wrist as a bracelet.

"I know it isn't much compared to everything else, but I figured there might be times when we may not always be there for the others in person. That is what these are for. Even though we might not be there in person, we will always be there with each other in spirit. When we remember that, nothing can stop us.", finished the young Akimichi as he slipped his kunai around his neck.

At this, each person started to adorn their own in how they felt. Naruto wore his around his neck, the same with Shikamaru.

The girls made theirs into a bracelet of sorts, where the flat of the kunai was resting against their wrist so that it was not loose.

Once everyone was done, Naruto spoke up. "Choji sometimes it isn't the cost or the look of something that matters. What matters is the thought put into each gift, and so far each of you have put in a lot of thought. With these items though Choji I think you topped everyone. Now we can each be there for the others, and we can all remember our friends when we are down."

"Yeah, what he said Choji.", added Shikamaru.

Ino, Tenten, and Hinata each nodded and smiled to the boy, which put him more at ease with the situation. Choji, upon seeing his friends support, visibly relaxed and smiled at the feeling he was getting in his chest. He was shocked when he felt his father's hand land on his shoulder, and give it a squeeze.

Taking this as his queue, Ohjiro walked up to Naruto and handed him a small box shaped package, and just saying, "Naruto, I know how accident prone you are, not to mention the damage your little bombs can do at times. So I thought you might need this. Just be sure to take it around with you, since you never know when you might need it."

Quirking an eyebrow in confusion, Naruto open the small box to find a Shinobi medic pack, filled with all the needed materials.

"Hey, are you trying to say I'm accident prone or something?"

"No, just that sometimes your little bombs, and training go over board."

Sweat dropping at this, Naruto sighed, and mumbled about busy body doctors, which earned him a grin from Ohjiro, and a glare from Tsunade. Seeing Tsunade's patented death glare, he tried to hide behind Anko.

"Just kidding Baa-chan." whimpered Naruto from behind Anko. After hearing Tsunade snort in acknowledgement, Naruto came back out and sat back in his seat.

Smiling at the antics of Naruto, Ibiki nudged Naruto to gain his attention before pulling his present out from under the table and setting it in front of him. But before Naruto could open it, Ibiki slapped his hand away, and pulled out several slips of paper.

"Before I give you my present Otouto, I need you to do something. Take one of these slips of paper, and channel some Chakra into it. This way I can tell what is the best present for you."

"Eh? Checking his Chakra element huh Ibiki? If I had to guess I would say he is wind, water, and maybe lightning. The boy is able to do all of those fairly easy from my experience with him so far."

Hearing this cause a number of heads to turn in Jiraiya's direction, mostly the older Shinobi present. Over coming his shock first, Sarutobi spoke up. "What do you mean Jiraiya? There are not many people who are aligned to two elements, but being aligned to three is unheard of."

"Oh.. I said that too loud didn't I? Oh well, might as well fill you in Sensei. One our way back Tsunade decided to jump start Naruto's training from her failed bet. So she had me teach him some Jutsus. Being where we were, water was plentiful, as was wind. Creating lightning didn't take much work. When I was teaching him, he seemed to be able to perform wind, water and lightning Jutsus easier then any others. I haven't tried teaching Doton, or Katon, but then again the brat refuses to learn Katon for some reason."

"Jiraiya, why didn't you tell me this before.." asked the Hokage as a nervous twitch started to form over his right eye.

"Uh, I forgot?"

Muttering about perverted students, Sarutobi nodded to Ibiki to continue with what he was doing.

Ibiki handed the slip of special Chakra paper to Naruto, and repeated what he wished for him to do.

Closing his eyes, Naruto channeled a small amount of Chakra into the paper. As he did several things happened to it at once.

First the paper was cut in half, making his Chakra a Wind element. Then the paper started to become wet, showing Water alignment.

"Well that was a surprise. Looks like Naruto here is able to use two elements naturally this early, that is a very unique talent. We will have to see what we can do about that."

"Hai, seeing how he seems to like water, or Suiton Jutsus, I think I know just the ones to get him now. Give me a few minutes.". With that Ibiki open the box he had set on the table, and started to search through the scrolls inside. After a few minutes he finally pulled out two small scrolls. "Here you go squirt, keep them to yourself for now, and maybe you could practice them later."

Taking a quick peek, Naruto noticed that they were scrolls for **Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique), and **Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu **( Water Release: Water Shark Missile Technique)

"Thanks Aniki. I'll take care of them for you, and have them down in no time.", said Naruto as he placed the scrolls in his hip pouch. Ibiki smiled at the boy, knowing he would probably have them down before the end of the month.

"Naruto-kun, this is from me, I hope you like it. When I saw it, I thought it would look cute on you.", with that Shizune handed him a small bag.

Reaching in, Naruto pulled out what looked like a night cap that he would wear to bed. The funny thing about this one is how it looked like a cartoon fox, with it's eyes as swirls, and the top of the hat designed as a tail. It was colored white, brown and gray, and even had little fox ears sticking off of the cap.

"Thanks Shizune-nee-chan, I really like it." as he finished, he pulled the cap onto his head, causing many of those present to laugh at how it looked on him.

"Well brat, it looks like you have a hat befitting of your mischief now. I suppose it's my turn to give you a present now isn't it? But.. If I wanted to be technical, I already gave you one when I healed you.", stated Tsunade as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, with a Cheshire grin.

"Yeah, and I could always tell people how you lost a bet to a kid!", retorted Naruto.

Frowning, Tsunade started to lean across the table, and raised a hand clenched in a fist.

Naruto seeing this closed his eyes and started to wait for the up coming pain. It was several seconds later before he finally felt something, slowly opening his eyes, he saw Tsunade placing a small kiss on his forehead. She back away slightly, and reach around her neck to start removing a small necklace, with an emerald jewel sitting in the middle of the necklace.

Several people gasped at what she was doing, but none did it louder then Shizune, Jiraiya, and Sarutobi. "Tsunade-sama, are you sure you want to do this? You remember what happened before..." whispered Shizune sadly from beside Tsunade. Jiraiya and Sarutobi could only nod in agreement.

Naruto watched on as she removed the necklace, and place it around his neck. Leaning forward again, she brought Naruto into a hug, and whisper something that none of the others present were able to pick up.

"Naruto, I used to think this necklace was cursed, since it took two people away from me who were very precious to me. But now I think it has found someone who can break the curse. You have to be one of the luckiest people I've ever meet. Not only that but you have lived a harsh live, and yet you still wish to protect those who would want to harm you.

"From what I've heard you have never let anything hold you back. That is why I think this necklace of the Shodai Hokage's belongs to you. Take care of it Naruto-kun, and never lose the will to fight back no matter what the odds. I know that if anyone can break this curse it will be you, who refuse to let go of life."

With those final words, Tsunade withdrew, letting several tears fall down her cheeks. Naruto too had signs of tears in his eyes after the comments made by Tsunade just then.

"Hai, I will never give up, because that is my Nindo. (Ninja Way)"

Nodding, Tsunade eased herself back down in her seat, as she sat she only had one final thing to say. "Then it looks like I choose the right person. Make me proud Naruto."

Smiling, Sarutobi stood up and walked towards Naruto. As he drew closer he reached into his robes and pulled out a large book shaped object. Once he reached Naruto's side, he placed the book down in front of him, and smiled down at him.

"Naruto, I felt it was time for you to start adding your own memories to this. You see over the last few years I've been taking pictures of you and storing them here for you. With this you can store those precious memories to look back on when you need them."

Before he walked away he bent down to Naruto, and whispered into his ear, "I'd be careful about looking at it right now. You wouldn't want your girlfriend to see some rather embarrassing photos now would you?"

Seeing Naruto's face glow red, and satisfied that his work was done, Sarutobi walked back towards his seat smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

By now Jiraiya was sweating bullets. It was down to two people left to give gifts to Naruto, himself, and the Hyuga girl, Hinata. He still had no idea what to give the boy. Tsunade's gift probably blew everything else out of the water, he still couldn't get over the fact that she gave him that necklace.

Sighing, and praying to what ever Kami will listen, he hoped the Hinata would decide to go before him.

Sadly though, no Kami took pity upon the poor man, as Tsunade walked over to him and started to crack her knuckles.

"Jiraiya, it's your turn now. Why not show us all what you got Naruto-kun?", as Tsunade in an all too sweet voice.

Gulping the white haired man slowly turned towards his blonde counterpart, and slowly let a smile come across his face, trying his best to come up with a good bluff.

"Tsunade-hime, I know it's my turn, but I thought I would let the wonderful young lady over there go first. After all, the beauty should go before the beast.."

_'__That should buy me some time.'_

"Now now Jiraiya, we all agreed we would let her go last, so hurry up with your present, IF you have one that is."

Sighing once again, knowing there would be no way out of this, he finally started to speak the sentence that would probably lead to his doom. "You see Hime, I had the perfect present for him.."

Jiraiya was rudely interrupted as Naruto decided to jump in. To Jiraiya's help or not was yet to be determined.

"Hey Ero-Sennin! Seeing how you taught me so much on the way back home, I think I can let you off this time I'll just take an I.O.U. from you for later on down the road, deal?"

Jiraiya, still in the iron grip of Tsunade, could only nod in agreement, unless he wished to suffer the wraith of the blonde haired woman. So he did his best to nod in agreement, not trusting his voice too much in his current situation.

With a look of disgust upon her face, and a snarl to match, Tsunade threw Jiraiya back down into his seat and made her way back to her own.

Next to Naruto, Anko was giving Hinata one of her smiles, one of the creepy smiles, that promises something embarrassing, or painful to the target of it. Leaning down to Hinata's ear, Anko whispered to her, "It's your turn Hinata-chan. Go give my Otouto that little birthday kiss now, and I promise I won't do anything to you. Just make it a quick little one though, no tongue."

Hearing this, Hinata had the decency to turn a bright crimson, all the while thinking of what Anko just said. She was stunned with the mental images conjured up by Anko, and she never noticed Anko change places with Naruto.

Much to her dismay, she was brought our of her fantasy by the very subject of them, Naruto.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, you okay?", asked the curious blonde as he was forced down into his new seat by Anko.

Hinata, caught by surprised, let out one of her patented mouse like squeaks when she was caught by surprise, and caught up in her fantasy.

"H-hai Naruto-kun.", was all she was able to whimper out before she turned away from him in embarrassment.

"Okay, we are down to the final gift now. So, with out further delay, Hinata-chan, if you would please." spoke up Anko.

Falling back into her old self, Hinata timidly reached beside her, and pulled a small red wrapped package out. With her head and eyes cast downward, she slowly raised the package up as she bowed her head to present it to Naruto.

"Uh, t-thanks H-Hinata-chan.", was all Naruto was able to squeak out as he took the offered gift from Hinata's small hands.

Nodding her head, Hinata stayed in that position while she wait for Naruto to speak his mind about the present she had just given him.

Naruto smiled at the top of Hinata's head, and slowly started to tear his attention away form her, and unto his present. Being careful not to rip the paper, like his many other present (except the ramen wrapping paper), Naruto started to task of opening his final present. Once the paper was off, he made short work of the box as he peeled the lid off to reveal a pair of dark blue goggles.

The goggles were dark blue, with black stitching, and rims for the lenses. They were large enough to cover up his eyes, nose, and nearly wrapped around to his ears. The strap for it was just as wide as the main portion of the goggles. The lenses were set slightly behind the rims for them, allowing them to be adjusted by hand much like some binoculars are done. Tapping the lenses Naruto could tell how durable they were, and was glad for that.

Turning them around in his hands, he could feel how light they were, and yet flexible, and still able to offer some protection for the parts of his head it would cover. Smiling at the gift, and then at the dark haired girl next to him. He quickly slipped the goggles over his head, and let them rest on his forehead. Looking back towards Hinata, he couldn't help but do one thing that always came natural to him when he was happy with something.

"Thanks Hinata-chan! I've been thinking about getting some goggles like this after some accidents I had on my little trip." while he was saying this he wrapped Hinata up in a hug, and both of them instantly froze at the contact.

After what felt like an eternity, and many cat calls later, both Shinobi in-training jumped away from each other, with shades of red on their faces that rivaled an enraged Hikari's crimson fur. As if reading each other's minds, both started to sputter out apologies to each other.

Tsunade, in order to save both of them from embarrassment, stood and cleared her throat to gain the attention of everyone in the room. Once everyone was focused on her, she started a small speech to end the party before Hiashi sent out search parties, it was nearly midnight after all.

"Well, it looks like my little brat, there are some things I'd like to say before we break this thing up." pausing she looked around the table. As her eyes fell on the young cadets a small crept across her face, one she normally reserved for idiots, perverts, and Jiraiya. Seeing the smile, each cadet as different feelings.

'_Tsunade-sama looks happy! I wonder if I could ask her to help me after I become a Genin..'_, were the thoughts of Tenten.

'_Something about that look reminds me of the one my Mother gives to my Dad right before she hits him with something.. This is going to be a pain..'_, crossed Shikamaru's mind.

'_O-oh n-no.. D-did I d-do s-something to mak-make h-her angry?'_, were the self destroying thoughts of Hinata.

'_Something about that reminds me too much of Shikamaru's mom, and Naruto's crazy sister..'_, came from Ino.

'_She looks just like Naruto's sister did that day he left'_, were Choji's. The grin stunned him enough to even stop him from munching on some left over chips.

'_Kuso! I know that smile. She is going to tell us are training, and it is going to be a pain. I hope she doesn't scare them too much.'_, were Naruto's desperate thoughts.

"Now, as I know, Naruto has told you that I will be training you six till you all become Genin. I know you are close to graduating already Tenten, but I will continue to train you until the others become Genin as well, or till you no longer wish me to.", she paused as Tenten let out a loud shout of victory at the news.

"The training is not going to be easy. Seeing how I am normally a med-nin, I will be focusing mostly on those areas, as well as some general ones. I know very little combat Jutsus, but I know some of the best ways to raise chakra reserves, and practice chakra control. That is why Jiraiya will be helping me with your training as well. He knows more about battle Jutsus then I do, and will be teaching them to you if you wish to learn some. If the pervert tries anything funny, or refuses to teach you something with out a good reason, let me know and I will show him why women are to be feared.", as she finished that, she threw a sadistic smile over towards Jiraiya, but it was more then enough to frighten all the men in the room.

"Now, since I will be your special Sensei, I have a few new rules that you will all follow. First thing is first. To be a great Shinobi, you must be in shape. That means if you are over weight, you will be put on a diet, underweight, the same thing applies.", she couldn't help but grin as Choji cringed, along with Choza.

"I will not tolerate laziness. If you don't move when I say, I will make you move, and you really don't want me to do that, do they Naruto.", while it sounded like a question, it was more of a statement. This caused Shikamaru to groan in complaint, and his father to snicker at what his son was getting into. "We will start training Monday of next week, by then I should have an estimate of where you are all at from Iruka, and your parents. Speaking of parents, I will need to get this okayed with them, since there is a small chance of major injury to some of you. The training will also take up a great deal of time to make up for time lost, so be ready to spend hours each day with me. Heck, if you have to you could probably stay the night here, since there are enough rooms."

Tenten, upon hearing about the length of the training time hung her head. This was a once in a life time chance for her, but there was something she always helped with after school, and in her free time. The family weapon shop. She helped her father by running the counter, or by helping in the back rooms. Not only that but she had a little sister she had to look after. With out her help, they would lose a great deal of money, and may not be able to buy things that they need. As she thought about these things tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She had to make a choice between her dream, or her family.

Naruto saw Tenten's sudden mood change, and knew what it had to be. He had helped take care of Tenten's little sister before, and on some occasions run errands for her when she, or her father were unable to. He also knew how much the training from Tsunade would mean to her. She talked about Tsunade about as much as he did about becoming the Hokage. Sighing, and shooting a look at Tsunade, then back to Tenten, he started to speak up.

"Tenten-chan, don't worry, I'm sure we could think up something. I mean if we need to, Shikamaru, Choji, and I could help out at your family shop. Baa-chan won't mind, and I'm sure she will understand.". He could only hope his words helped to calm her down, as he could see the signs of her breaking down already.

Tsunade heard this, and remembered the talks with Naruto about his friends, and how Tenten most importantly wanted to become a Shinobi for several reasons. First, to help support and protect her father, and little sister. Second, she wanted to show that not only men could do the job, but women could do it just as well, which lead to her idolizing Tsunade. Finally, it would give her a chance to see the world, visit other villages, and countries.

"Tenten-chan," started Tsunade softly, almost mother like, "Naruto is right, for once, we can work something out. Since he is ahead of the training, he could help out your father. I'll even make Jiraiya help if he needs more. Even the others here could help, since it would be a great work out in the back rooms. So don't worry about this.". Tsunade finished, and while she spoke in a mostly gentle tone, she was sure to make it sound harsh at the needed places, such as speaking of Jiraiya, and getting the others, Choji and Shikamaru, to help.

"Um, Tsunade-sama,", started Ino as she looked to her father, then to Tenten, "I have to help in my families flower shop as well after school and on the weekends. I don't know if Shikamaru, or Choji could do that. Naruto might be able to, so could Hinata. But I would need someone who knows the meaning of flowers to work there."

"Tch, why not just ask Sakura? She could probably do the job, after all didn't you teach her everything you know about flowers?", grumbled Shikamaru at the barb sent to his pride by Ino.

"Forehead girl? I'd have to talk with my mom, and see if she can pass her test..", started Ino, only to be interrupted by her father.

"Ino-chan, leave it to me. This is a once in a life time chance to train with a Sannin, make it two Sannin. There is no way I'd let you miss out on it.", what he didn't say though was how he dreaded his only daughter being around Jiraiya. Choza, Shikaku, and himself were all worried about how Jiraiya might influence them. But Naruto didn't seem to have changed much, had he?

Nodding to Inoichi, Tsunade turned towards Hinata.

"Now your father is one I am really looking forward to speaking with. You will be training with me one way or another. If he doesn't like it, screw him, and the Hyuga elders. You have a gift, and a chance I will not pass up. Because I have always wondered how good of a Med-nin a Hyuga would make.", stated Tsunade.

Hinata was doing her best to keep from collapsing. She had never heard any one speak of the Hyuga like that, let alone her father. She also had never seen or heard of anyone wanting to have something to do with her teachings. Normally people only did it because they had to, Juken instructors, or because it was their job, Iruka. Never before had someone shows as much interest in her as Tsunade was now. She was only able to nod her head in understanding, and acceptance, not trusting her voice at the time.

"Now, I suggest you all talk to Naruto some time over the weekend so that he can buy you all some nice weights like his new ones. This will help to..", as she was going to continue she was rudely interrupted by Naruto.

"What do you mean Baa-chan! You are the trainer! You should be buying the equipment! You darn old hag trying to make me do your job!", Naruto would have continued his tirade, but is was kind of hard to do when Tsunade had introduced him to the floor, and place a Chakra fused foot on top of his head.

"Listen here you brat, you are buying them because they are your friends. Not only that but you were the one bragging about being Mr. Moneybags. Now, unless you want me to put YOU on a STRICT diet, I suggest you quit arguing with me, or else I WILL make the next year and a half a living nightmare for you.", yelled Tsunade finally.

"_**You know, there is nothing more dangerous then a pissed off woman with super strength."**_

'_Yeah but she would have to catch me first! Baa-chan could never keep up with me.'_

"_**Oh.. Poor Naru-chan forgot that his Nee-chan here is a woman too, and also controls his weights.."**_

Naruto started to visibly pale when he heard that. He had completely forgotten that Hikari could change the weights when ever she wanted to. Not to mention with a spike of her Chakra, his new weights…

'_I'm sorry Nee-chan! I guess I just got a head of myself..'_

"_**Good, now apologize to Tsunade, and we are even, but I'm still upping each weight by fifty pounds."**_

'_No good slave driving family.. I swear I lived into of a P.O.W. camp or something..'_

"**_Want to make it a hundred Naru-chan?"_**, asked Hikari in a sickeningly sweet voice, while batting her eye lashes innocently at Naruto.

"Uh.. Baa-chan.. I'm sorry.. I'll be happy to buy the equipment for everyone..", was all Naruto said in response, as he bowed to Tsunade, who have a triumphant smirk plastered on her face. She was more then willing to let the Baa-chan comment slide, since she got him to show her some respect finally.

Everyone else in the room was confused at the sudden change in his behavior, but put it off as Tsunade's knack for intimidation.

"Good, now it's late, and Friday night. I haven't had my Sake yet, and I've been itching for some all night. Enjoy your freedom while you have it, because starting Monday we start my training. Choji, I've already talked to your father, and he will make sure you follow the diet Shizune makes for you. If you don't, we double everything. Laps, pushups, the works. I have goals for each of you, and mine is to make sure you or your family never have to depend upon those destructive pills again.

"As for you Nara, I am going to get your butt in gear, any time I hear you say the word troublesome, you get the same punishment as Choji. You slack off in training, the same. I'm also going to have Jiraiya teach you three, the Ino-Shika-Cho team, more jutsus besides your families. Sure they work well with each other, but you will never always be in the same group.

"Yamanaka, while training with me there will be ZERO fan girl freak outs. While you might be the best right now, imagine how much better you could be with out obsessing over that drama queen Uchiha. Chasing after him is only making you weaker.

"Tenten, from what I've heard one of your major weaknesses is the dependency on your weapons. Don't get me wrong, your Taijutsu with them is probably unparallel, but you lack speed, and strength, and most importantly Chakra. Adding those in, as well as some elemental Jutsus, you would be one step close to your goal."

Tsunade paused, and turned her attention to her final student, Hinata. She had heard about the confidence issue from Naruto and Iruka, and seen it first hand here tonight.

"Hinata-chan," many of the other children raised an eyebrow at the familiar address, "I know you have some problems, and we will fix them. With Shizune's, and Anko's help, we will break you out of your shell. That is the only thing holding you back right now. Just from looking at you, and hearing things from your teachers, and peers, I know you have a great deal of potential just waiting to be unlocked. I'm going to unlock it, even if I have to move you in with me here.

"Now that you all know what we will be working on, it's time for you to get going. I need to enjoy my Sake, and a nice pervert free hot bath. So shoo, all of you.", finished Tsunade with a shooing motion of her hands.

Saying their goodbyes to each other, and agreeing to meet the next day at Tenten's shop, the Ino-Shika-Cho group left, talking with the fathers, or in Choji's and Shikamaru's case, wondering why they were being punished for training. Ino couldn't be happier, and was practically bouncing around her father. She was upset about Tsunade mocking her "affections" for Sasuke, but if she could become stronger, then she would gladly give it up.

Tenten was about to head out before being stopped by Naruto.

"Hey! Tenten, it's a little late and all.. So I was wondering if I could walk you home, and Hinata-chan.. That is if you don't mind." he finished with a rosy red blush creeping up his cheeks.

Tenten, being the smart girl she is, could tell there was more to it. But it was late, and both girls did not need to be walking home alone, let alone the Hyuga heiress. While it was their home village, there could be no telling what some people, drunks and perverts, may do.

"Fine Naruto, but no getting fresh with Hinata-chan. If you do, I'll tell your Aniki and Nee-chan you were being a pervert." hearing those words, Naruto turn ghostly white as the blood drained form his face. Regaining his sense after several minutes, he couldn't help but yell out at her.

"HEY! I'm not ERO-SENNIN! He is the father of all perverts! I would gladly take Baa-chans punches over being a pervert!." exclaimed the angry blonde. He could barely contain his anger at being called a pervert till he heard Tenten giggling, and turned to see Hinata walking towards them.

As the three were getting ready to walk out the door, Naruto could hear Anko's and Tsunade's barbs at him, and Jiraiya telling him not to do anything he wouldn't do. So grumbling about terrible sisters, old hags, and perverted old men, Naruto, Hinata, and Tenten left the house, with the remaining adults talking over things.

The three young children all walked in silence through the forest. Hinata and surprisingly Naruto were both to shy to say anything, while Tenten was busy cursing both of them. It was finally her, who managed to break the deafening silence.

"So.. Naruto, you've trained some with Tsunade-sama, and Jiraiya-sama right? What is it going to be like?"

Taking a few minutes to think back to the return trip to Konoha, Naruto brought a hand up, and started to rub his chin as he spoke. "Well, it is going to be hard.. More so if you are going to be a med-nin. For that you need near perfect control of your Chakra. I have that, but that is only because I practice my control everyday for at least three hours, sometimes as long as eight hours.

"I managed to learn easy healing Jutsus.. But that is about all I can do. Since both of you have fairly small reserves, your control will be a lot better then mine. Plus, since Hinata is a Hyuga, she probably already has just about perfect control.", this praise of course caused said girl to glow like a neon light.

"She also made me go through what she called a Med-nin obstacle course. It's where she starts hurling rocks, and kunai at you, and you are supposed to dodge each one. The reason is because since you are a Med-nin, you have to be free, and uninjured to be able to help any fallen comrades. So you train to move faster then your enemies' attacks."

Tenten nodded, and gulped at the news, the same with Hinata. Both saw small amounts of Tsunade's strength, and if the rest of it was anything like Naruto had described earlier, they were not looking forward to it.

"Ero-Sennin knows a lot about Jutsus, and a lot of them. But I think before you learn any, you should do like my Aniki did with me, and see what Chakra type you are. That way you know where to start when learning them, plus it saves time to find a compatible element, I think.

"He is also a Super Pervert, who write those **_Icha Icha Paradise_** books. The entire way back he kept trying to peek into the women's baths, showers, bedrooms, you name it. I don't know how many times he got beat up by a bunch of regular villagers. Kind of sad really, but that's what he gets for doing it. So you two, and Ino better be careful.", he paused as he saw the mortified looks upon Hinata's and Tenten's faces. Both would never had thought that such a respected man like Jiraiya would do such things.

"He is pretty good in Taijutsu too, so he could probably help you," he looked towards Tenten at this, "Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino out. I've had a lot of Taijutsu practice, and still do it every morning when I wake up. Now I need to work those Tonfas into it too so I can get used to them.

"Both Baa-chan, Shizune-nee-chan, and Ero-Sennin will make you read from books. Baa-chan and Shizune-nee-chan will mostly be medical, and other topics concerning the body. Ero-Sennin will be scrolls on Jutsu theories, and mechanics. Both of them hurt my brain just thinking about them, but really help when you want to try something. And little does Ero-Sennin know that he really helped my Taijutsu with those scrolls.. But keep that a secret between us", winked Naruto to the two young ladies.

Since they were so caught up in talking, they were all surprised that they had arrived at Tenten's house/shop.

"Well, this is my stop. You two be careful, and behave. Naruto, no causing trouble or anything." With a final smile, and a good bye later, she had slipped into the shop, and hurried up to her room for bed, leaving the other two standing out on the moonlight lit streets. With some reluctance, both turned and started to head towards the Hyuga compound, which would be just ten minutes walk from where they were now.

For the first five minutes, both continued on in silence, each wondering what they should talk about, and both afraid to break the silence. Slowly though, Naruto's hyperactive nature started to return, and so cause him to break the silence first.

"Hey, Hinata-chan… Um.. I wanted to say thanks and all for worrying about me, and coming to my party.. I know you could have been at the festival and all.. But it really means a lot that you guys came…" was the first thing he said with his head cast down, never looking up to see the stunned look in the girl's eyes.

"N-no N-Naruto-kun.. It was m-my pleasure t-to be invited. Remeber t-that as a H-Hyuga, I do not get invited to many such e-events. W-we do not normally c-celebrate our own birthdays in the w-ways everyone else does. Our birthdays are n-normally just words s-shared with our families, and maybe a n-new set of r-robes. That is all u-unless our f-friends from outside of the c-clan bring us something." came the stuttered response from the shy girl.

"Oh.. Then I guess this was a first for both of us, huh? We should do it more often.. Maybe even have a party for each of us. It would be great, and maybe we could invite some of the others from class, just not Sasuke-teme!"

Hinata started to giggle at his antics, and quickly raised a hand to her lips to keep them from escaping.

"You know Hinata-chan," started Naruto as he raised his arm behind his head, and started to scratch the back of his head, "you should laugh more often, it's really a nice sound. Besides, Shizune-nee-chan says laughter is the best medicine!"

This brought another bout of giggles from the dark haired girl, as well as a lush to her cheeks.

It was shortly after that they noticed they were in front of the Hyuga Compound. Both stood outside the front gates, unsure of what to say. Slowly though, Hinata started to inch her way to the gates, hoping to escape before something happened to embarrass or anger her father.

"Uh, well I guess this is good night Hinata-chan.. So I'll see you tomorrow right?"

Nodding her head in agreement, she quickly vanished behind the gates, and once again silence reigned supreme.

It didn't take long after that for him to start his way home along the roof tops. He took his time, wanting to enjoy the night sky and the scent of the night time air.

He could still hear the sounds of some people enjoying the last few hours of the festival in bars, and their homes, or in the back alleys, which he had learned to avoid over the years training or not.

It turned out to be a good thing he was always on edge inside the city, because if not he never would have been able to dodge the giant shuriken that came flying at his back. Jumping down between two shops, he watched as the weapon flew past where he was formally standing.

'_Here I thought I would be able to make it home safely.. Just what I need..'_

"_**Be careful Otouto, I can only sense one through you, but there could be more. With your speed it might be best to make for the forest."**_

'_Nee-chan.. I'm tired of running. They want to pick a fight with me, then they got one. The only time I'll run is if I'm out numbered or out classed.'_

With those thoughts, Naruto jumped back up to the roof in time to see a silver haired, with a hint of blue Mizuki with another giant Shuriken on his back, and a kunai in his hand. But what really caught Naruto's attention was the oversized scroll on his back. Naruto had only seen the scroll once before, and that was in the Old man's private vault in the Hokage Tower.

The Scroll of Forbidden Seals.

"So, it seems the demon child is still alive after all. I guess I'm just lucky to have run into on my way out of this rat hole of a village. Now I can kill you, and become a hero, even if I have to flee.", stated Mizuki in a cold voice.

'_Still want me to run Nee-chan? From what I can tell he is just barely Chunin level, with decent Taijutsu for his rank, but nothing astounding.'_

"_**Well, it also confirms those papers we once saw of Ibiki's, Mizuki is a spy, but for who we don't know. Just try not to kill him so we could find out."**_

'_Good, then..'_

"Let's go wild Mizuki-sensei.", said Naruto and a wild grin spread across his face. He reached down to pull out a kunai. Except the was one problem..

"AAAHHHHHHHH! I forgot to restock my pouch! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!", shouted Naruto as he hit himself on the head.

"It doesn't matter demon, you don't have near the skill needed to take me on. You'll be dead before you know it.", hearing this snapped Naruto out of his rant, and caused him to set in face in a serious expression.

"I'd like to see you try, you see I'm not the dead-last you think I am from the Academy. You of all people should know, don't judge a book by it's cover.", and with that Naruto charged towards the former Chunin of Konoha.

Mizuki was slightly taken by surprise at the charge of the blonde, but quickly overcame it as he raced forward to meet the attack.

As the two meet, Mizuki threw a right hook towards Naruto, who bent backwards, and braced his hands on the ground. Focusing Chakra into his feet, and pulling his legs upwards, Naruto flipped up. Right as his feet were about to hit Mizuki under the chin, he pulled back enough for the feet to miss.

What he didn't expect though was a razor sharp burst of air to come up with the kick, sending him flying backwards, and skidding across the roof top with a slash in the middle of his chest The slash was deep enough to cut through his vest, shirt, and leave a slash mark going form the left side of his stomach to the top right of his chest. As he flew across, he could see Naruto coming back to his feet, and turn to jump along the roof tops, and towards the Academy grounds.

Once Mizuki landed, he wasted little time in giving chase to Naruto, and quickly caught up to him at the Academy pond. Both standing on opposite sides of the pond, and glaring at the other.

"I don't know what you did demon child, but you will not catch me by surprised like that again.", sneered Mizuki as he started to remove his second giant shuriken from his back.

"Sssuurreee Sensei. But you might want to remember that you seem to have lost something after that little tap of mine.", grinned Naruto as he started to walk onto the water.

Stopping, Mizuki finally noticed what he meant. The strap that held the Forbidden Scroll across his back had been cut by the kick, and was now probably laying some where on the roof tops.

His plans.. His future.. All the time wasted in this hell hole of a village.. All gone…

"DAMN YOU KYUBI! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!", shouted Mizuki as he surged forward, bringing his shuriken forward.

When Naruto saw him charge forward, he started through a set of seals. Thanks to his practice they felt almost like second nature as he finished them, and shouted out, "**Kiri Gakure no Jutsu** (Hidden Mist Technique)". After shouting this the area inside of the Academy walls started to become covered in a thick mist.

Mizuki stopped his charge, and frantically started to look around. He had heard of this technique, but never seen it before. The mist was thick, too thick for anyone inside or outside of it to see anything. It wasn't all bad, what made is worst for him is Naruto's voice coming from all directions, all at the same time.

"How do you like this Mizuki-sensei? Still think you can handle me? You're blind now, you can't see anything, and I doubt you can hear as well as me. I really should thank Ero-Sennin for teaching this to me. But first, let me show you a few other things I've learned while I was away."

Suddenly from behind Mizuki he could feel a large surge of Chakra, but before he could turn around he felt a fist collide with his back. Once it did he could feel the Chakra packed into the punch, and as it connected, and started to send him flying, the Chakra exploded from the fist sending him flying into the main building for the Academy.

Mizuki struggled to pull himself from the wall, but with the damage to his back, and the broken ribs from connecting with the wall it pained him to move.

"That was something Tsunade-baa-chan taught me. I'm not as good at it as her, but good enough. So how about giving up now?", echoed Naruto's voice from all around once again.

"**cough** I'll never give you the pleasure of beating me you abomination! You should have been killed the second you were put into that body!".

"You know, this is what I hate about some of the villagers. You think I am the Kyubi, but I'm not. I'm just plain old Uzumaki Naruto, FUTURE HOKAGE!".

"As if they would let you have that honor, NOW DIE!", shouted Mizuki as he started to hurl explosive notes all around him in hopes of catching Naruto.

"Not going to work! But thanks for helping draw attention here." yelled Naruto as he jumped away for the explosive note covered area.

That was all it took as the notes all started to explode, hurling debris up into the air, and destroying parts of the academy grounds. As all of them detonated it shook the ground enough to rattle windows of houses and shops two or three blocks away.

The end result of this? A small trench built around Mizuki and the portion of the building he was in front of, and large clumps of dirt and concrete scattered around the grounds. It also had the unwanted result of brining several ANBU units to the area, as well as the Jonin/Chunin village patrols.

Each group was surprised to see the thick mist covering the area immediately around the Academy, and none of them could see with in the mist. There were a handful though that could smell the Chakra in the air, as well as fell it. Those few were Inuzuka Tsume and Hana along with their faithful Ninken, Kuromaru, and The Haimaru Sankyodai. Last but not least was an ANBU, who was just getting ready for his shift to end that night, Hatake Kakashi.

"So, who do you think is responsible for this mist? I mean not many people know the **Kiri Gakure no Jutsu**.", came the gravelly voice of Kuromaru. He was a large, black furred wolf like dog, with an eye patch covering his right eye. He was also one of the only Inuzuka dogs capable of speech at this time in their village.

"I wish I knew.. But I find it strange, for the amount of Chakra that would have to be used to create a mist this thick, it hardly feels like there is any here.. Not to mention I've never felt Chakra like this before, very strange indeed." drawled out Kakashi as he watched the mist start to thin out.

Shortly before it started to thin, those more adapt at it could hear the sounds of a small scuffle, almost as if someone was fighting to restrain someone else.

Once everyone saw the mist start to thin, they all went on their guards, expecting the worst to come from within it. What meet their eyes was the sight of a hog tied and gagged Mizuki. Sitting next to him was the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.

Immediately the ANBU charged forward to restrain him, and retrieve the scroll. While they were doing this, others were inspecting the area, hoping to find signs of who was responsible for subduing him.

As the looked all they could see was the after effects of Mizuki's notes, as well as a portion of the wall caved in, and covered in small amounts of blood. After checking Mizuki out, he was rushed to the hospital's secure ward to get his ribs, as well as spine checked out.

The Inuzukas continued to check around the Academy for signs of who ever fought Mizuki, but never found any. All they knew was that someone had seemed to have stopped him from fleeing Konoha with the scroll. It would be some time before they were able to get any answers from Mizuki, given his current health.

By this time Naruto was already halfway home, and enjoying getting to test a small amount of his skills in a real fight.

"**_You did well, I'm surprised you were able to pull off the _**Air Slash **_so well with as little practice as you have in it. Anko and Ibiki would be proud of you for what you did."_**

'_Yeah.. But I'm surprised that Mizuki-sensei would do something like this. I mean, just he wasn't one of the best Sensei, but to steal the Forbidden Scroll, and go nuts like he did… I almost feel sorry for him.'_

"_**You shouldn't, but I can understand. You are a very forgiving person, and that is something to be commended. But enough for now, we are almost home, and you still have some things to do before bed."**_

'_Yeah like tell everyone about what Mizuki-sensei just tried to do. I'm sure Aniki and Anko-nee-chan will have some fun with him. Tsunade-baa-chan might have to check up on him too. I think I put too much Chakra into that last punch.'_

With that final thought, Naruto landed in front of his house, and walked in. From the front door he could still hear the sounds of the adults enjoying the night, and chatting away. After removing his shoes, he walked back to the dining room and noticed that everyone was still there with the exception of Teuchi and Ayame.

"Ah, Naruto you are back. Good, so tell me, what took you so long, huh?", asked Jiraiya with a suggestive wink to the young man.

Resisting the urge to growl, and punch him through the wall, Naruto answered calmly, "I kind of had a run in with Mizuki-sensei…."

"What did he do or say Naruto?" jumped in Iruka.

"Well, I was on my way back from dropping off Hinata-chan, when he decided to throw one of his giant shurikens at me…" he was once again interrupted, but this time by Anko and Tsunade shouting the same thing.

"WHAT!" with that both moved over to him, and started to check him over for damage.

"Hey! Hey! I'm fine. I ducked the first one. But that isn't what's important. What is important is that he was trying to run with the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. When he saw me he decided to make a little detour…", once again he was interrupted, but by Sarutobi, Iruka, Jiraiya, and Ibiki.

"WHAT!" shouted all four.

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH ALREADY!" hollered Naruto after this latest interruption. "As I was saying, he made a detour, hoping to kill me before he left the village. Thankfully I was able to piss him off enough that he never noticed I cut the scroll off of him, and made him chase me to the Academy.

"By the way Oji-san, Iruka-sensei, you might need to get some Genin teams to fix it up some. Once there I took him to the pond at the back of the Academy, you know for low level Katon practice, and swimming. When we got there I performed the **Kiri Gakure no Jutsu**, creating a thick mist, and did like you showed me Ero-Sennin. I threw my voice so he wouldn't know where I was, then I charged in behind him and nailed him in the back with a Chakra punch, sending him into the main building's wall face first.

"After that he went a little crazy and threw over 30 explosive notes out.. Which destroyed parts of the building, and the training grounds. But thankfully it brought the ANBU, and some of the Jonin/Chunin patrols. Before I left the mist down, I tied, and gagged Mizuki-sensei, and left. I'm sure the ANBU took him to the hospital.. I think I cracked a few ribs, and damaged his spine with the punch.. And that is what brings me here now."

The adults were all looking at each other. Iruka was astounded that Naruto was able to do so well against Mizuki, as was Sarutobi. He knew from the talks with Anko, Tsunade and Jiraiya that he was skilled, but to be able to defeat a veteran Chunin so easily was something else. Anko, and Tsunade were beyond pissed.

'_HOW DARE HE ATTACK MY OTOUTO!', _mentally screamed both women.

"That is very good Naruto-kun, I will see you get what you deserved for this. Perhaps even a few Jutsus from the scroll that you might like."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I was just doing my part to help out. I'm just wondering how he was able to get pass your guards Oji-san…"

"Yes. That is something that I will have to look into as well. Ibiki, will you stop by the office tomorrow? Tsunade, perhaps you and Shizune could come by as well, and check out Mizuki."

All three answered simultaneously, "HAI!"

With that done, Naruto trudged up to his room with his gifts, and slowly went about settling back in.

He had just finished putting the last of his new kunai and shuriken up when he was suddenly hit in the face by something wet and slimy, that seemed to cling to his face. Screaming out, Naruto grabbed the offending object with both hands, pulled, and threw it on top of his bed. It was then he finally got a good look at what it was.

A small orange toad, with dark blue markings, and a dark blue vest on it. After righting itself, the toad looked over to Naruto, raised it's right webbed foot, and spoke, "Yo! You Naruto?"

Naruto nodded mutely at the small creature, unsure of what to make of it. He had heard about summons, but never seen them himself.

"Cool, my name is Gamakichi, and I was told to bring you a scroll from my old man." it was then Naruto noticed a fairly large scroll also sitting atop of his bed.

"Um.. Okay.. Who's your old man? Who is the scroll from?", asked a confused blonde.

"Oh, I guess Jiraiya-baka never told you about us." he stopped when he saw Naruto starting to speak up.

"You mean you know Ero-Sennin?"

"HAHAHA! Is that what you call him? That's the best name I've heard for him, wait till dad hears this, he'll be rolling around laughing for weeks." he finally stopped laughing, and continued. "I'm a Toad Summon, which Ero-Sennin (laughs here), has a contract with, as well as the Yondaime Hokage. My old man is Gamabunta, the Toad boss. The scroll I have is from your dad, who told my pops to give it to you when he felt you were ready to know.

"Ever since you were born, he has had one of us lesser summons watching you. Granted we couldn't interfere much, but we reported back to pops, and told him how you were doing. Today happened to be my dad, and he liked what he saw of your fights. The one with the Nukenin from Mist, and now that Mizuki fellow. He also thinks you made great progress in your training, enough to know about your family." finished the little toad.

Gamakichi looked on as Naruto had a number of emotion playing across his face. Surprise, sadness, happiness, anger, just about every thing a human could feel. During it all he never noticed Hikari going silent.

"T-thank you.. Gamakichi.. I don't know w-what to say." stuttered out Naruto, as he walked to the bed to sit, and look at the scroll.

"Hey no problems. I got to admit, I used to hate watching over you. But seeing you fight, I was at both of them, I have to admit you are one heck of a kid. Though you gave dad a scare when he heard how beat up you were with Zabuza. I didn't stay around after the fight finished.. So I was surprised to hear you meet up with Ero-Sennin, and Tsunade-sama."

"Yeah.. Tsunade-baa-chan really changed my life, so did Ero-Sennin. I owe them a lot, mostly Baa-chan though." once again Gamakichi was thrown into a fit of laughter, but this time at Tsunade's nickname.

"Man! You come up with some good ones don't you? I'm going to have to hang around you more often. Who knows, maybe I can become your personal summon or something. I mean the Toad contract runs in your family after all."

"M-my f-family?", asked a confused Naruto. "You don't mean that Ero-Sennin is related to me do you?"

"WHAT! Oh no, that's not what I mean…"

"But you said the only other person to sign the contract was…"

"Yep, the Yondaime, or Kazama Arashi, who happens to be your old man."

* * *

**Some where in Konoha.**

"So, it seems Mizuki failed his mission, and after all the trouble I went through to help him.", came a voice from deep in the shadows of the room.

The room itself was dark, with only a single bulb of light sticking out above the door to the room. Inside of the room was nothing more then several paper seals, each with a different purpose. They were placed all across the room, and several overlapping others.

"Yes. But it seems we have more to worry about. It seems the Kyubi child is growing in strength. If he continues…" came another voice, this one belonging to a person clad in black, with what appeared to be an ANBU mask and cloak concealing his body.

"So I heard. It seems that old fools students have been teaching him a few things. With his students back in the village, there is little we could do to make a move on him, or the demon child any time soon. We shall have to wait to move forward with our plans a few more years. Hopefully by then we can complete them without flaw."

"As you wish, I shall return to my post now."

"Good", with that said a man covered in bandages, and an "x" shaped scar on his chin. "Perhaps in a few more years I will be able to accomplish all of my plans, and dreams. Then, you will pay for your transgressions Sarutobi."

* * *

**A/N:** So there the you have the newest chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, and once I get the chance I will look over it again to try to crrect any other mistakes I might have left.

Now there are some people who think I am moving the relationship too fast. While they are hugging, I don't see that as anything wrong. Naruto has been raised in a house run by a female, and has one in his mind. Both know something about romance. Now add to the fact there are three other females he consider family, Shizune, Tsunade, and Ayame, and he will be more caring, and have a better idea of romance, and the lines. While I agree kissing and such is too much for the current age, 10-14, I don't think it means they can not have a close relationship.

As for me giving Naruto multiple Elements, I have good reason. I consider the Wind alignment as his human side, free and always moving. Then there is the water and earth. I thought about using these to show his closeness with Hikari, since we see/hear how the Kyubi was able to cause tsunamis and flatten mountains (I see this as an Earth ability, it could be considered something else) with it's tails.

I was wondering also, if anyone would happen to know a link to a good on line translation site. That way when I do come up with techniques I can try to get it's name counter part, much like all of the ones I use from the manga/anime. If not, then I may be forced to just go with english names instead of mixing them and confusing people.

* * *

**Jutsus:**

**Mizu Bushin no Jutsu**/ **Water clone Technique:** This Jutsu allows the user to create one or more identical copies of themselves from water. The copies are capable of attacking, and using Jutsus. It has two drawbacks, the first being that the copies only have one-tenth of the user's power. The second is that they can only go so far from the user before falling apart.

**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu/** **Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique:** This creates a powerful stream of water in the form of a dragon, and sends it towards the target.

**Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu/ Water Release:** **Water Shark Missile Technique:** This jutsu utilizes water to attack the enemy with a powerful water burst that's in the form of a shark.

**Kiri Gakure no Jutsu/ Hidden Mist Technique:** This jutsu envelops the surrounding area in a dense fog or mist, causing anyone within it to lose the advantage of visibility. The density can be controlled by the user, allowing them to create a fog so thick that they themselves cannot see through it.

**Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu/** **Water Release: Water Shark Missile Technique**: This jutsu utilizes water to attack the enemy with a powerful water burst that's in the form of a shark. 


	9. TSC

'_Thoughts'_

"**_Demon/Inner Self/Gamabunta"_**

'**_Demon thoughts'_**

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun. The divider button does not seem to be working right now, so forgive me.

_**Previously**_

"Ever since you were born, he has had one of us lesser summons watching you. Granted we couldn't interfere much, but we reported back to pops, and told him how you were doing. Today happened to be my dad, and he liked what he saw of your fights. You know the one with the Nukenin from Mist and now that Mizuki fellow. He also thinks you made great progress in your training, enough to know about your family." finished the little toad.

Gamakichi looked on as Naruto had a number of emotions playing across his face. Surprise, sadness, happiness, anger, and just about every thing a human could feel. During it all he never noticed Hikari going silent.

"T-thank you… Gamakichi. I don't know w-what to say." stuttered out Naruto, as he walked to the bed to sit, and look at the scroll.

"Hey no problems, I got to admit, I used to hate watching over you. But seeing you fight, I was at both of them; I have to admit you are one heck of a kid. Though you gave dad a scare when he heard how beat up you were with Zabuza. I didn't stay around after the fight finished. So I was surprised to hear you meet up with Ero-Sennin, and Tsunade-sama."

"Yeah… Tsunade-baa-chan really changed my life, so did Ero-Sennin. I owe them a lot, mostly Baa-chan though.", once again Gamakichi was thrown into a fit of laughter, but this time at Tsunade's nickname.

"Man! You come up with some good ones don't you? I'm going to have to hang around you more often. Who knows, maybe I can become your personal summon or something. I mean the Toad contract runs in your family after all."

"M-my f-family?" asked a confused Naruto. "You don't mean that Ero-Sennin is related to me do you?"

"WHAT! Oh no, that's not what I mean…"

"But you said the only other person to sign the contract was…"

"Yep, the Yondaime Hokage, or Kazama Arashi, just happens to be your old man."

_**TSC: Tsunade's Slave Camp.**_

**Konoha, Naruto Room**

"W-wait you have to be joking Gamakichi. I mean I've heard I look like him and all, but that is a little much." asked a confused blonde.

"Nope, not joking around Naruto, I am dead serious. Besides I'd have to be crazy to joke around about this. You want proof; I can give it to you. When your dad was about to perform the sealing, he asked my pops to allow you to be accepted into the Gama family. To do this he had to create a tattoo on you using my pop's blood and some of his own, which is hard to do. This tattoo would allow us to summon ourselves to you, or in the area around you, with out alerting you or any one else. This was so we could watch over you, and report back to my dad.

"This tattoo also serves another purpose. When your dad made it, he also mixed some of your blood into it; this served the same effect as having you sign the Gama Summoning Contract. So that means you can summon us once one of use activate it for you. Other things are explained inside of that scroll beside you, now if you don't mind; I need to borrow a kunai or some other knife to activate that tattoo."

Gamakichi started to hop over towards Naruto's desk, who was still too shocked to believe what was going on. He snapped out of his stupor when he saw Gamakichi pulling on his new kunai holster on the bedroom desk, trying to pull one free. Despite his disbelief, he couldn't help but wonder if it was all true. Without thinking much about it, he strode over and reached in and to pull a kunai out for Gamakichi.

"Here you go Gamakichi." with that, they both walked, or hopped back towards the bed.

"Thanks now roll up your right sleeve for me, all the way up to your shoulder." Naruto quickly did as he was asked by the miniature toad. "Ok, now if you don't mind, cutting my right front foot a little for me? I'd do it myself, but webbed handed can't hold a kunai all that well. It doesn't have to be anything big, just large enough to draw blood.

Nodding his head, Naruto once again did as the small orange toad asked, just nicking the webbed foot, and then setting the weapon down.

Gamakichi started to perform strange signs with his webbed feet, signs that looked similar to the hand seals the ninjas use, only harder to tell because of the webbed feet. After several seconds, Gamakichi stopped, and slapped his hand down onto the upper part of Naruto's right arm.

Suddenly Naruto started to feel a burning pain as the blood of Gamakichi started to trace lines Naruto had never seen on his shoulder before. Naruto could smell the flesh of his arm starting to burn, and hear the skin sizzle a little, as the tattoo took shape across his arm. The pain started to build up as the tattoo started to flash several different colors, from red, to blue, to green, to black, to orange, and yellow. When this started, Gamakichi spoke once again in a hurried tone.

"Quick, bite down on something, because this next part is going to hurt like a mother…", he never finished as Naruto screwed his eyes shut, and let out a silent scream of pain and agony, surprising the young toad with his tolerance.

After several minutes the colors stopped flashing across the "ink", and slowly settled into a black. The tattoo itself was simple in design to the normal eye, but to those how knew the more intricate parts of such things it was a work of art.

It was simple as it only spelled out the word "Gama", or toad. It also had what looked like two small daggers, or a small swords running through the top right and left edges of the Kanji. The Kanji itself was set inside of, what looked like, a round shield serving as the back drop.

The thing that made it a work of art however was the large amount of small script written inside of the shield, and along the swords' handles and blades. It was this script that made the tattoo a summoning contract capable of the Toads summoning themselves, and allowing Naruto to summon them.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL GAMAKICHI! AT LEAST GIVE A PERSON A WARNING BEFORE YOU START BURNING THEIR ARM!" shouted out Naruto as the pain finally stopped.

"Hey, I said it would hurt, I repeat, '"Quick, bite down on something, because this next part is going to hurt like a mother', so quit crying to me!" retorted Gamakichi.

"Yeah, but that doesn't count the pain before. I felt like my skin was melting off my bones of something. What you said is like saying the Hokage's Monument is just a pebble! BIG UNDERSTATEMENT!" shouted Naruto to the little toad.

"Quit crying you baby, I thought someone as tough as you could handle a little pain. But I guess I was wrong." retorted Gamakichi.

"Why you no good little toad, I'm going to turn you into a wallet!" With that the two started running around the room, with Naruto trying to grab, stab, impale, bludgeon, chop, and just about anything imaginable to the small toad.

Gamakichi was just hopping around the room enjoying the little chase, and laughing at Naruto's antics, which only served to infuriate the blonde more.

It didn't take long for the two to hear a banging on Naruto's door, and the voices of Anko and Tsunade wondering if everything was okay.

Hearing this, Gamakichi was about to reply, but was stopped when Naruto wrapped his hands around the toads small body, and mouth.

"Yeah, everything's fine Nee-chan, Baa-chan. I just burned myself trying to light a candle. I kind of dropped it on my foot when I did, so that's why I was hollering and running around." _'Please let them buy it, Please let them buy it.'_ Mentally chanted Naruto, praying he wouldn't have to answer any questions about his new tattoo, or what an orange toad is doing in his room.

"You sure Naruto, if you burned yourself why not let me take a look at it?" came the voice of Tsunade.

"Yeah, I'm okay, after all I heal real fast now, so nothing to worry about. You guys go on and finish your drinking game." He paused, waiting for any other sound from the duo. When none came, he glared back down at the toad in his hands. "You almost got us caught! How would I explain this to them if they came in here!"

Slowly releasing Gamakichi's mouth, Naruto finally let him go.

"Geez, blame everything on me why don't you. If you want to be like that, then I'm out of here. Besides, looks like you have a lot of reading to do. I guess you don't want to know how that tattoo works."

"Ok ok, I'm sorry, it's just that I wouldn't know how to explain this to them. So please, tell me how to use it, and I promise I'll try to be nicer to you in the future" pleaded Naruto to his small orange friend.

"Fine, to use it, you have to cut the hand you wish to run across it, and mold chakra into the hand at the same time. The more chakra you use, bigger the summon you get. So if you want to summon pops, you have to use a lot of chakra" with those words, Gamakichi vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Finally free of the miniscule toad, Naruto sat on his bed and turned his attention to the large scroll sitting upon it. He was split on what to do. Part of him wanted to know more about his birth family, while another wanted nothing to do with them. After all, how would someone else feel knowing that their father, and mother left them, and they had no one else to look after them. Having to live a harsh life digging through garbage for food and clothes, being beaten like a dog, and all for nothing under their control.

At the same time, the respect he had for the Yondaime, the idolization, was shattered. His father was the one to perform the sealing on him, and leave him with out a family. Sure he had a new family, and Hikari wasn't that bad, except when it came to training. But what if things didn't turn out that way? What if Hikari was the demon of mass destruction that everyone thought she was? What would have happened to him then?

Sighing in defeat, he grabbed the scroll and strapped it across his back as he went towards the window to his room. He poked his head out to listen, and take a quick sniff of the air to see if anyone was out and about.

Once he was certain it would be safe, he quickly jumped out of the window, and made for the forests surrounding his home. With speed, and stealth unknown to him, he quickly made his way to his former favorite thinking spot, the Hokage Monument and atop of the Yondaime's head. Once there he sat and opened the scroll to read what his _Father_ had to say about the sealing. This is also where he stayed the rest of the night, with no one realizing he had slipped out.

**Konoha**

The Sun slowly started to make it's never ending trek across the sky on the cloudless day in Konoha. With dawn's coming the villager of Konoha slowly started to wake from its slumber. Villagers started to leave their homes, as well as many of the Shinobi of the Leaf. Some of the Shinobi were off to work, others were getting ready to travel, train, or meet friends.

No one noticed the dense mist hovering over the faces of the Hokage Monument in the early morning hours. Those that did passed it off as early morning fog rolling off of the cliffs that held the faces. But no one would have believed what was going on behind it until it all finally vanished with the wind hours later.

Till then, many villagers, mainly the Shinobi, found themselves in the midst of several trap, some of which were exploding paint cans, eggs, honey, glue, and numerous dangerous and pointy objects. Few were spared, but one who was not lucky enough would be a previously, silver haired ANBU with a dog mask, who walked into the Hokage Tower looking as if his own Ninken turned on him.

Kakashi was not having a good morning.

When he first woke up and went to take his morning shower, all was fine. Once in the shower his luck started to change. As he was washing his mane of silver hair, he grabbed what he thought was his shampoo, and went through the normal rituals provided for it. The same with his soap, and the other cleaning products one would use. It wasn't until he stepped out of the shower and started pass a mirror that he noticed things were not as they seemed.

His previously silver hair was now a plethora of colors. Hot pink, black, golden yellow, pale blue and neon green were all the colors that now graced his head. His skin was a pale green color, which he assumed was from his new soap which dripped of the color.

Seeing this, he wasted no time in jumping into the shower again, and scrubbing until his skin was raw, yet the sickly looking green never came off his skin, no did his hair change back to normal. Groaning, he gave up on that route, and hoped that some of the doctors, or ANBU medics would know of a way to rid him of his new colors.

As he was heading to his kitchen for a quick breakfast he never noticed the small wire tied to the fridge handle until it snapped as he opened the door.

He was surprised to find the contents of his fridge flying at him in an alarming rate. Eggs, milk, juice, left over ramen, garlic chicken, and sushi all came flying out and hit him dead center before he knew what had happened. As he reached for a towel to clean himself off he set off another trap in his small kitchen.

Attached to the towel was another wire that snapped, and caused his cabinets to fly open to throw out the contents there. There was honey, salt, pepper, cumin, vinegar, and an assortment of oils that now coated the unfortunate ANBU Captain. To add to his misery his ceiling fan suddenly turned on casting feathers around the room and coating him in a thin sheet of down, as well as majority of his kitchen. Now frustrated, as well as smelling of something foul, he gave up and started to leave his home.

Being a Shinobi, he took the easiest way out for one of such a profession, the window. Sadly, for one such as him, it was the predictable exit of choice.

As he stepped out of the window he was barely able to dodge numerous kunai and shuriken that were sent flying towards him, all due to his sixth sense for danger. After sparing a few seconds to ponder just who he pissed off, he made his way towards ANBU headquarters in hopes of a real shower, and getting the gunk off of him. Making his way across the roof tops he reached into his hip pouch to get his favorite reading material out for the short travel, in hopes of finding some peace this morning.

Once again he was thwarted, as he pulled the book and opened it up he was not treated to the "fabulous works of Jiraiya", instead he was treated to the exact opposite of _Icha Icha Paradise_. What he had instead made him gag as he tossed the book away, trying to rid his mind of the images he just witnessed. Instead of finding his favorite book, all he found was its female companion. Where it was not centered on the male's exploits of the opposite sex, but of a woman with her harem full off men.

It was to this that many ANBU saw their infamous Captain come walking in, dragging his feet with his head hanging down, with mumbles of _"why me why me"_, and of prayers to the gods for his day to take a turn for the better.

His day did seem to be better; in fact, he had not been the target of any more traps or pranks the entire way to his office. Once he stepped into his office was another matter entirely.

As Kakashi stepped into his office he immediately noticed the numerous new additions of finger paintings to it. Not just any finger painting, but painting done on reports he was supposed to review, and turn into the Hokage today. Nor were the paintings done with traditional fingers, many of them were done with what looked like webbed feet and hands. Some even looked liked the "artist" was just dancing around the stacks of reports, and up and down his walls.

Letting out what had to be his hundredth sigh of the morning, he went to sit down at his desk. It wasn't until he was firmly planted in his chair did he sense that something was wrong.

As soon as he was planted in his chair he felt the points of numerous tacks take up residence in his back side. Going on instinct, he went to jump up out of the chair in hopes of staying off any further injury.

That too turned out to be a mistake as the chair left the floor with him, and his rear was still firmly in it. Grinding his teeth he tried to pull the chair free, only to feel the chair, as well as his pants protesting the action. With a final push he managed to rip the chair, tacks, his pants, and a small portion of his skin off, and let fly a violent scream of pain.

Many of the ANBU, upon hearing their Captain's scream of pain, came running to his office, only to see him laying on the floor, face first, with his butt sticking up in the air. Many of the men laughed at the sight, while the few female ANBU started to blush at the sight in front of them. For besides his posterior being pointed towards the sky, it was clad in nothing but flesh, as what ever held him to the chair obviously got through his pants, and onto his boxers underneath. So currently he was clad in pants that bore a striking resemblance to a pair of chaps.

It was with this that what was left of his dignity crumbled up and flew away with the wind. Some how Kakashi knew his day was only going to get worst, since it was only now eight in the morning.

Many of the ANBU couldn't help but wonder who could do this to a Captain of the ANBU; and if it had something to do with numerous similar events across Konoha

"**Uzumaki House"**

Life started in the "Uzumaki House" just like every other day, with Ibiki and Anko waking early in the morning for some training, and exercise. This of course included waking a certain blonde, who when sought out, was not in his room.

Guessing that the young blonde started his practice early, the two adults started about their own routine for the morning. No one knew anything was a miss, not even when it came time for breakfast and Naruto had still not turned up.

By this time the other residents of the house had started to stir, since it was just now seven in the morning. Ibiki was greeted with shouts of hangovers, and perverts as he walked into the house to prepare breakfast. As he started he was greeted by Shizune, who was more then willing to help her hosts.

By breakfast's end there was still no sign of Naruto, and Anko was starting to get worried. He stayed out sometimes, but he hardly ever missed a meal if he could help it. Looking around the large dining room, she could tell she wasn't alone in her worries. The same thoughts seemed to be flashing across the faces of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune; while Ibiki looked normal as ever sipping his coffee.

"Ibiki, do you know something we don't? Out of all of us, you seem to be the least worried about Naruto right now."

"Hm, do I know something?" asked Ibiki to no one in particular. This only served to enrage the Kunoichi of the house even more. Ibiki paused at the elevated killing intent being pointed towards him; sighing he set down his coffee cup and turned towards the angered females.

"I suppose he could still be out training. After that entire racket last night, he slipped out while some of us were still getting plastered. Something happened last night that upset him that much I could tell. I'm simple letting him have time to work it out of his system, less I become the target of some of his anger. Give him some time, and he will come crawling back for food, clothes, or a nice warm bed.

"Not only that, but I've noticed a few of his things gone, things which make me hesitant to leave the house, and glad that I have the weekend off. So all of you can go looking for him if you want to, but I plan on staying here, and helping with that training schedule for the "runts" that Tsunade-sama is going to be helping."

With those final words, he picked his coffee back up, and left towards the kitchen. He couldn't help but notice the confused looks on the recent additions to the house. He could also see the look of mischief on Anko's face. Out of everyone there, she was perhaps the only one who knew of the few things that made Ibiki not want to leave the house. Of those things it involved when Naruto was in a bad mood, and pulled out all of his practical joke materials.

Anko visibly shuddered at the thought, and couldn't help but silently agree with the scarred man.

"What's could Naruto-kun do that makes Ibiki-san afraid to leave?" ask the confused Shizune, Tsunade and Jiraiya nodded in agreement.

"Let's just say that when Naruto is in this type of mood, the only ones who are safe from him are family, sometimes even not them, friends, and anyone who stays inside of this house. All others are fair game to him, and he will not hold anything back if you had something to do with his mood. To make things worst, when he puts you in some compromising positions, he keeps pictures as blackmail for future uses.

"Add to the fact that I've heard him mention Nara Shikamaru giving him plans, like detailed traps, blue prints etc, and you have a major problem. Naruto also knows the village like the back of his hand, as well as majority of the surrounding forest. Add in his **_Kitsune Genkaku_** (Kitsune Illusion), and he is nearly impossible to find for those who are not used to it. He seems to also have been working on adding the **_Kitsune Genkaku_** to items involved in his pranks, so you can't blame Ibiki. As a matter of fact Tsunade-sama, what do you say we sit and talk about the hell you want to put these brats through?" finished Anko as she walked in the same direction as Ibiki.

Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya just looked at each other before each followed their hosts.

Once they were all sitting outside in the middle of the house, which consisted of a small training large training pit, and about 30 yards separating the pit from an equally large pond, they all sat to start listing off things they wanted the group to do.

"First, I need to come up with something for the Akimichi. Their fighting style is self destructive, and could very well kill them if they do not get help right away. With that said, he is going on a diet, consisting of plenty of physical exercise, healthy foods, and maybe him finding a hobby to help out. The hobby may have to wait so that we can focus on the more important issues. Finding a weapon for him wouldn't be a bad idea either.

"For the exercise, I think laps around Konoha, which they will all do regardless, as well as working his upper, middle, and lower body muscles. He could be an actual tank if he took care of his body and not just one when he used his family Jutsus. This will also allow him to put more power into the strikes with the family Jutsus that he knows. We will also be working on his Chakra control and capacity. They have decent reserves for their age, but nothing to look at twice, with the exception of perhaps Hinata; that could be explained by the Juken though. Jiraiya could also teach him a few Jutsus that require large amounts of Chakra, but preferably some that will help with the ones he has already.

"I may be wrong, but I'd have to say he is an Earth user, so Jiraiya's **Doton: Yomi Numa, **and perhaps the **Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu** (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld / Inner Decapitation Technique respectively) should benefit him, and complement his family Jutsus. I'm sure there are more, but I'm not a big person on attack Ninjutsu, I'll leave that up to Jiraiya to teach."

Finished Tsunade, as she glanced around those gathered, asking if there was anything to add. She received nods of agreement from many of those gathered, and a small grunt of annoyance from Jiraiya. Of the ones gathered around, Shizune was writing the things discussed down for future use. Anko and Ibiki seemed to be listening, though they would give small advice on the physical training for Choji, after all they have been doing that for Naruto the last six years.

"One thing Tsunade-sama, I noticed another issue we should address with Choji. He is seriously lacking in the agility department, which I think we should work on. Granted he is more of a brute strength fighter, he still needs to be nimble on his feet. This will help him out more in the future." commented Ibiki.

"Good point Ibiki, I'll leave that up to you to work on. Now diet wise, I'm looking at trying to make him leaner and at least a more reasonable weight for someone his age. So I'm going to cut down on his fried, and greasy foods, and Make him eat more steamed, roasted, and raw foods such as vegetables, fish, chicken, salads, and other healthier alternatives. Now it would be wrong of me to put just him on this, so each of the brats will be doing the same thing, since they could all benefit from this. I'll be damned if I have any students running around out of shape, and over weight." declared Tsunade with a nod of her head.

"The Nara will take some work for us. From what his Father told me, as well as Iruka, he is a genius, but just doesn't like putting an effort into things. Anko, Ibiki, this is where you two come in. I want you to motivate his butt no matter what it takes. I have a feeling though that if we get Ino settled into the program, as well as Choji, Shikamaru will work as well. He doesn't seem like the type to let a girl beat him; that is from his Father, and he won't let his best friend go through this alone. So the best way to get to him is through getting the others around him to pass him up, but mostly the Kunoichi of the group." With this she gave Anko and Shizune one of her sly, and yet evil grins as she thought of the plans for poor Shikamaru.

"His other problem is reliance upon family Jutsus too much. They are fine when in a group, and not severely out numbered. But in dire cases, it just won't do, which is where you come in once again Jiraiya. Find out what he is good out, and help him with it. I will work on his Chakra reserves, since he will more then likely need it. He will also need to work on his Taijutsu for when he must fight up close. Other then that, his intelligence is very high and his control would need to be high as well for the family Jutsus. He could probably handle a few medical Jutsus, and it wouldn't hurt to teach him basic first aid as well as medical knowledge. Did you get all of that Shizune?" receiving a nod from said woman, Tsunade continued on.

"Shizune, I think you know what I want to work on with each of them. I would stay and talk it all out, but I'm afraid I have to go meet with someone concerning my possible new apprentice. Something gives me a feeling that I'm going to get the mother of all headaches too, so have something waiting for me when I get back." With that Tsunade took her leave to allow the remaining four to iron out a program for the remaining four students. She was only able to pick up a few things as she made it into the house.

"I think since Naruto has shown he can perform very well with the **Kiri Gakure no Jutsu** (Hidden Mist Technique) I should teach him some of what I know about the **Muon Satsujin Jutsu **(Silent Homicide Technique). With your help Shizune, we could show him how to incapacitate rather then kill his opponent. With his enhanced senses it should be a breeze for him to battle in the mist, plus it would be a perfect counter for the **Sharingan**, in case he was ever placed upon a team with or had to battle an Uchiha."

That was all Tsunade heard as she left to get ready to head over to the Hyuga Compound, and for a meeting that could change Hyuga Hinata's future.

**Hyuga Compound**

Life at the Hyuga Compound had a set routine each day. The Branch family would rise earlier in the morning then most of the Main family, and start breakfast, change shifts for guard duty, prepare for their Main House charges, or head into the main part of Konoha for errands. So today was not that different, except for the few small, yet major differences.

The first difference was that a number of Elders could not be found for their morning tea. The Branch members in charge of security for them could not find them, nor was their word of where they had went off to.

With the Hyugas being such a popular family, this of course did not sit well. A number of the Branch members were sent looking for the missing Elders. They searched high and low, and even went to the out laying areas of Konoha, such as the Forest of Death, and the Hokage Monument. Nothing turned up in the Forest of Death, and they couldn't seem to find anything on the Monument, even with the **Byakugan** activated. So they returned and repeated their previous search, hoping to find that they missed something.

While this was going on, many others who were not involved went about their normal business as best as possible. One such person was Hyuga Neji, proclaimed Hyuga Genius from the Branch House. He awoke at his normal time, performed his morning rituals, and set about the menial, or so he claimed them to be, tasks he was given. One such task was waking the Heiress, and taking her through her morning training. This was normally never a hard task to do for him, but he was never told of her late night the day before.

Hyuga Hinata had one of the best nights of her life the day before. Not only was _her_ Naruto-kun back, but he was also safe, and could now talk. The entire day at his house was almost like a dream to her, from the greeting, to hearing him speak, and then to the small hug and comforting gestures he made towards her when she started to cry. From there things only got better for herself, and her friends.

They found out that Naruto had someone managed to talk two of the Legendary Sannin into training their small group until they were all Genin. This is normally a dream come true for most people, but it only got better when she was complimented by Tsunade on her salves and creams. She was even more surprised at the news of taking the training to become a Med-Nin. She felt as if her brain was going to explode from all of the things that had happened to her in the short few hours of the party.

She was even surprised that Tsunade had told her she would PERSONALLY make sure that Hinata could begin the training. Never before had someone other then Naruto and her friends, let alone someone who was pretty much a complete stranger do so much for her. It left Hinata on cloud nine for majority of the night, and the only thing that sobered her up was the walk home with Naruto. As she prepared for bed that night she could only think about seeing Naruto once more when their group went shopping for their training supplies.

With her night filled with peaceful and romantic dreams, it proved to be one of the best nights ever, one she never wanted to leave, or forget about.

It came to an end all too soon for her liking as she was slowly brought out of her dreams by the insistent sound of her cousin Neji knocking outside of her door, and calling for her to wake up. Sighing, and mentally cursing her cousin, she answers with a soft, and polite, "T-thank you Neji-ni-san." and starts getting ready for her morning drills.

After several minutes Hinata finally emerges from her room, and remember that it is still barely six in the morning, and once again curses having to wake up from her wonderful dreams.

With out any words to her, Neji turns and heads towards the Dojo for her morning practice, with Hinata wordlessly following behind.

So the routine continued for the next few hours, with Hinata finishing practice, and cleaning up for breakfast.

Breakfast in the Hyuga house is normally a very silent affair, unless Hiashi or others at the table had pressing matters to discuss; or if Hiashi wished to discuss their training, and plans for the day, often though it was just their training. So it was a surprise to Hinata when her father asked about the party the previous day.

"T-the party was enjoyable Otou-san, N-Naruto-san m-made it to the party just in t-time for the party to start." mumbled out Hinata with her head down.

There were few things outside of the Hyuga Compound that could bring her head out of the clouds. But one thing that was sure to do it no matter where she was, or who she was with was talking to her father.

Raising and eyebrow, the Hyuga Head looked on as his oldest daughter started the annoying habit of pushing her fingers together.

"Is that all Hinata? I would have expected a party with him, and his siblings to be a little livelier."

"N-no Otou-san, there was more. W-when he returned it turned o-out that he brought t-three others w-with him, t-they were T-Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-s-sama, and Tsunade-sama's student, S-Shizune-s-san. All of us talked about what had h-happened while t-they were gone, and t-then N-Naruto-s-san gave us some n-news. B-but I w-was a-asked by T-Tsunade-s-sama not to say a-anything yet. S-she wished to s-speak with y-you some t-time today. Naruto-k-kun and the r-rest of use were g-going to m-meet up t-today to t-train s-some since he j-just returned."

Hinata didn't noticed the _kun_ had slipped until after she finished, and quickly brought a hand up to her mouth and dropped her head down further between her shoulders, waiting for the response from her father.

'_My own daughter is afraid to talk to me about such things as her affections, what kind of monster have I become?'_

"Hm, did she by any chance state what it was in regards to?" asked Hiashi as he tried to relieve his daughter of some of the burden he has placed upon her over the years.

Shocked, Hinata just shook her head, since she did not trust her voice at the moment.

"I see, so what time did you plan on leaving to meet your friends?"

Hinata froze up with that question, as she suddenly realized that they had never set a time to meet up.

"I d-don't know Otou-san, w-we forgot to set a t-time. I can w-wait for them to c-come and pick me up I s-suppose." was all she was able to say as she thought about the error they had committed.

"Hm, yes that may be the best thing to do, while you are waiting, perhaps you could train with your sister. I have many things I must over see right now, and at the same time I need to wait for Tsunade-sama's meeting with me. If I do not see you again today, I wish for you to enjoy yourself, and have a good day. Should you leave the grounds, leave word with a Branch member, and be sure that your cousin is with you." were the parting words of Hiashi as he stood from the table, and left the room.

Hinata was once again surprised at her father's behavior. He didn't reprimand her, or degrade her any throughout breakfast, a rue surprise to her. She could also tell her younger sister, Hanabi was just as surprised at the way things ended. Both of them looked at each other, bewildered by their father's actions until slowly both started to smile.

Quickly and politely finishing their morning meal, they each left to their rooms to change into proper training clothes, and meet each other out in the small outdoor Dojo stationed at the back of the estate.

It was while they started their small spar that Hinata was surprised to find her cousin Neji standing and watching them from a small bench near by, with his glare causing Hinata to stumble through the spar.

It was also at this time, which was now around eight in the morning, that a strange event occurred. A white sheet started floating through the gardens, a sheet with what looked like eye holes, and a mouth hole was going around the gardens of the Compound, with a great many Hyuga following it, trying their best to "capture" it. Each had their **Byakugan** active, and could see nothing but faint wisps of Chakra coming from the sheet.

The only thing that made this sheet look suspicious would be the eye holes, and the fact that it was running around the place. The wisps of Chakra could have been written off; as all things produce chakra and release it continually if they do not know how to contain it.

Slowly the sheet made its way towards where the Heiresses were sparring and with a glaring Hyuga Neji watching on. The sheet floated past Neji, and caused the boy to release a small startled cry as it also sent him stumbling into one of the many Koi ponds that are in the gardens. Finally it came to a stop in front of a startled Hanabi and Hinata, drawing gasps of surprise from both.

As it stopped, what looked like an arm started to rise from the sheet, and made a motion as if it was throwing something towards the gathered Hyuga guards. After several seconds a strange scroll appeared in front of a now thoroughly soaked Hyuga Neji, with **Byakugan** throbbing into existence.

Each Hyuga looked through the scroll, and tried to peer into it with no results. Neji took charge and reached down to grab the scroll, and quickly pulled it open, only to find a strange series of seals written across it, none of which he had ever seen before.

With many confused looks among the group, and some muttering go on among them, the sheet slowly made its way closer to Hinata. Hinata was surprised to hear a very familiar voice coming from with in the confines of the sheet.

"Hinata-chan, take this and cover yourself, and your sister, quick! Take this scroll too, it has the time I want to meet, tell everyone else." came a voice Hinata thought she would never hear inside of the Hyuga gates.

With those hasty words, the sheet was thrown over the two Heiresses, and pushed to the ground as a wet sounding explosion came from the Hyuga holding the scroll.

As the explosion sounded, a wet substance, that Hinata thought smelled strangely familiar hit the sheet. A few seconds after this was another explosion from the same location, which sent up something into the air that she could not identify from under the sheet.

After waiting several minutes, and listening to numerous curses, Hinata and Hanabi made their way out from under the sheet to see what this "ghost" had done. What they saw, neither was prepared for.

Standing around the dojo were what seemed like human sized peacocks, each complete with the blood line of the clan coming into existence. Many were trying to pull the numerous amounts of peacock feathers off, only succeeding in spreading them to other parts of their body.

One stood out the most, as it was holding a scroll in its hands, with a stunned look upon its face. It was none other then Hyuga Neji who could not believe what had just happened.

Both Hinata and Hanabi had to raise their hands to their mouths to hold back the giggles and squeals of delight at the sight in front of them.

So caught up in this were they that neither noticed their father and one other come, That was until they heard the sound of laughter coming from behind the gathered Branch House, and Main House members. Slowly everyone turned towards the sound, only to see none other then Hiashi and Tsunade, with Tsunade holding her sides in laughter.

"Hiashi-san, if I had known you were having a costume party this early in the morning, I would have come dressed properly. Sadly, I came only ready to discuss your Daughter's training, so perhaps we can retrieve her, and head into a more comfortable area for this discussion?" was all she was able to say through peals of laughter.

"I, must say, this is truly a surprise to me… I do not think I've ever seen anything like this since the time of the Arashi and the Uchiha celebration for Fugaku when he was nominated for the Yondaime position. I must say, who ever did this has his flair for things. But yes, Hinata, Hanabi please come with me, Hanabi you go clean up and get ready for your lessons."

'_I have a feeling I know just who did this. If only you know how close you were Hiashi, I wonder just how much groveling you would do."_ were Tsunade's thoughts as she followed Hiashi.

With that the Hyuga sisters parted ways as Hanabi went to get ready for he lessons with her father, and Hinata followed behind Tsunade and Hiashi to a small private meeting room.

"Would you like some tea before we begin Tsunade-sama," he paused as Tsunade gave a gentle nod of acceptance to the offer, "Hinata would you please retrieve some while we begin?"

With a nod, and a look towards Tsunade, Hinata started out, and barely noticed the small smile on her face.

"It is a pleasure to see you again Tsunade-sama, I didn't think that you would ever come back to Konoha, short of a war of course." started off Hiashi.

"Hm, you might have been right at one time, but a few weeks ago I came across a very interesting young man and his sister. They seemed to change my views on a number of things, as well as show me the darker side of this village once again."

"Hm, and what was so interesting about them, to my knowledge one would be an orphan, and the other a sadist, pardon my wording. I find it hard to see anything of interest in them at first glance."

Tsunade fought to keep her anger down at the moistened insult towards Naruto and Anko. "Well, it is not the people, but rather the condition they were in when I stumbled across them in Water Country. One was a bloody mass, covered in cuts, and with a hole in his chest, while the other tried to bring him to safety. She happened to pass out right in front of me as when came across them.

"I would have never found them if it was not for the Chakra that was used shortly before that. It was upon examining the boy that I became interested in him, and speaking to the woman once she woke did I become intrigued. Who would have thought that after nearly six years they would find me by accident in the least likely country?"

Both stopped here as Hinata entered the room once again with a tray and tea for the two. For once in his life Hiashi found himself wishing that she had taken longer with the tea. If there was ever anything she did perfectly, it was making tea for meetings such as these. Hiashi wanted to know more about what happened to Naruto; he wanted to know what would cause him to release such large amounts of the Kyubi's youki.

But if anything, he was a patient man; he could wait until he had another chance to discover what happened.

"Ah, thank you Hinata-chan, I'll have to get Shizune to talk with you on how to make tea. Every time she tries to do it something ends up burned, so you might be able to give her a few pointers." whispered Tsunade to the now blushing Hyuga.

Hiashi couldn't help but wonder how the two became so familiar with each other in such a short time.

'_Perhaps she is just being polite, but it is still rather interesting that Tsunade-sama would be some familiar with her in less then a day.'_

"So tell me Tsunade-sama, to what do I owe this pleasure? I do not mean to be rude, but there are a number of Elders missing from the Hyuga grounds that must be found. But something gives me a distinct feeling that it is all tied to another joke some where."

"Always the one to cut right to the chase, aren't you Hiashi? Very well then, I came to discuss taking Hinata-chan as my new apprentice. I've had a chance over the last few weeks to hear a great deal about her, and test some of her medicinal slaves and creams first hand. I think she has the workings of an excellent Med-Nin, and perhaps the ability to learn everything I could possibly teach her."

Hinata knew about being taught a few things by Tsunade, but she had never heard of the apprenticeship. This was more then she was expecting, and the shocked face she now owned proved that to her father as well as Tsunade.

Hinata was not the only shocked person; her father was as surprised as her. But being the Figurehead of the Hyuga clan, his face did little to show it, only his eyes betrayed his calm façade. He wasted little time in quickly over coming his surprise, as he turned to see Hinata equally as shocked, and Tsunade with a pleased smile upon her face.

"That is indeed something worth my time, Tsunade-sama; I am surprised you would look here to the Hyuga for someone to take that honor. While it is normally unheard of for a Hyuga to partake in that field of work, it is not unheard of, as I am sure you know." danced Hiashi, hoping to avoid the topic of his late wife, Hitome.

Tsunade nodded in understanding at the unspoken words of Hiashi. "Yes, but I feel that perhaps only Hinata-chan here will be able to fully use my teachings. You see her generation seems to be gifted with a great deal of raw talent, and she is just one of the few that myself, as well as Jiraiya will be teaching. Hinata-chan though will be given a great deal more work then the others, as will one other who Jiraiya wishes to take as his new apprentice."

Hinata was surprised once again, hearing such praise, even if it was not just her that was being praised.

Hiashi sat there, making sure his face did not betray any emotion that was rolling through him at this time, which was proving to be easier said then done. He was surprised that someone of such ranking as Tsunade would speak so well of Hinata, as well as others she seemed to have encountered at the party the night before.

He was also proud of his daughter for being able to receive such training, which would be hard to come by any where else. Here he had a daughter his clan thought weak, and useless, and yet one of the great Sannin was taking in interest in her; as well as taking Hinata under her wing as an apprentice. His daughter had a chance to learn from the student of the Sandaime, and the Granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage.

But yet he couldn't help but feel a little angry, for what he said earlier was true. Very few Hyugas, if any studied medicine, since Hyugas were brought up to bring pain upon others, and not to heal the pain. Hinata had never shown any true skill in that area of the Hyuga lifestyle, she was a peacemaker, and would hardly harm her little sister in their sparring sessions. So shouldn't it be reasonable for him to be upset, maybe even furious with his daughter?

Looking over at Hinata he was once again reminded of how much like her mother she was. Timid and thought to be weak by the Hyugas around her, afraid to let her true emotions through for others to see except when behind closed doors, or with her most trusted of friends. Willing to suffer pain to make others happy, even when it meant the pain would and could destroy her. Both were far more caring then majority of the Hyuga clan, and were able to see past the exterior of a person, and to their very core. They were the truly gifted ones who were denied privileges of the clan, all because they did not wish to harm their loved ones, or family when training.

But should a person dare to try and harm one of their loved ones, they would fight for them like a tigress would her cubs.

Hiashi's expression visibly softened as these memories, and he once again turned towards Tsunade.

"I understand, and I agree, Hinata does possess the skills that could prove fruitful for a med-nin. It is not every day that someone wielding the **Byakugan** is asked to undertake such a task. I am truly proud and honored that you wish for my daughter to do so. I hope that it may bring honor to the clan once she reveals to others what she is capable of. I will handle the Hyuga council should they voice any opinion to the contrary." finished Hiashi with a small pleased smile on his face.

His pleasure only increased upon seeing the look on Hinata's face as she jerked her head up to look at her father.

"Now Hinata, don't you have to meet your friends today? I suggest you hurry on your way, it wouldn't do to have you late."

"Yes Hinata-chan, don't forget that today is one of the last few days of freedom you have. Enjoy the shopping for your training equipment. Let me know if you run across that little baka Naruto, he hasn't been home all morning." added Tsunade as Hinata quickly took her leave to inform the others of the contents of the scroll.

"Now Tsunade-sama, if I may ask who is going to be the new apprentice for Jiraiya-sama? Last I heard was he vowed to take no others after Arashi-san's death. I have a feeling upon who it might be, but the reasons escape me on why he would select him."

Tsunade smiled at that, and wondered if Hiashi had any idea about the heritage of Naruto.

"He like me changed upon coming across Naruto, the boy managed to melt both of our hearts with his life story, and brought us back to this village. Maybe it's because I see so much of Dan and Nawaki in him, or maybe it's Arashi I see, it could just be because of the burden he has to carry, but I want to see him grow into a fine young man, and reach his dream.

"I think Jiraiya sees the same things, except not as strongly in the two former cases. We both can tell though he has great potential that has just barely been unearthed. All he needs is the right teachers, and motivation to be able to fully discover it." Tsunade trailed off as a far off look came to her face, as if remembering fond memories of the past.

Hiashi looked on in wonder, as he could see the pain and happiness that Tsunade was reliving. He was pulled out of his observation as he heard her start to speak once again, this time though in a soft voice, filled with pain and a hint of anger.

"I think though Hiashi, the thing that brought me back the most was how the boy was willing to fight. He fought against the hate from this village, and would fight his own feelings to keep from looking weak to everyone but his family and dearest friends. He would continue to fight with or without his voice that was taken from him six years ago today. He doesn't let anything keep him down.

"So perhaps I stay to repay him for never coming back sooner to take that pain away. Perhaps I stay here to hope that one day I will see him full fill his dreams, and work my debt off to him. But I think the main reason for my staying is hearing his story, the story of what happened to him before I stumbled across his bloodied body in the back waters of Water Country."

He could only nod, and wonder just what the child did go through recently, and throughout his life. What ever Tsunade heard from Naruto, Anko, and those closest to the child caused her to be deeply affected. Her voice just now was filled with so much emotion, that for a second there he thought she was speaking of her former lover or her little brother.

He barely had a chance to nod in understanding before he saw her standing up to take her leave.

"It's been a pleasure Hiashi, but I have some things I need to do while the day is still young. So if you will excuse me, I must be going." and with those words she left Hiashi sitting in the room by himself as he pondered the events that morning.

**Hokage Monument**

It was now ten in the morning, and the mists surrounding the Monument finally started to lift. With it came a number of ANBU and the Inuzuka matriarch to try to find the cause of the thick blanket that hung atop of the Monument for majority of the morning.

Stumbling in what was left of the mist, they were surprised to see what looked like several torches planted in the ground, and surrounding several feathered objects chained to the ground. The strange objects vaguely reminded Inuzuka Tsume of turkeys waiting to be roasted.

Just as the mist lifted, so did the "turkeys". They started to rise and stand up on two legs, and their height started to look more like a Tengu spirit that had come roosting on the monument. It also seemed that they started to come around, and frantically tried to free themselves from the ground that they were chained down to.

Shouts of confusion soon erupted from the five gathered "turkeys", words such as "How did I get here" or "where am I?" could be heard coming from amongst them.

Daring to move closer, Tsume stepped forward in an attempt to speak with them.

"You are atop of the Hokage Monument, in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha. Might I ask who you are, and perhaps we could help you." beside her Kuromaru could be seen preparing for any sign of hostility towards his mistress. What occurred next shocked him, Tsume, and the gathered ANBU.

"What the hell does it look like? I am Hyuga Hitori of the Main House. I demand that you free me of this, and explain what is going on here!" Similar shouts came from the other four figures. The entire group of Shinobi could do nothing but wonder what the hell they had walked into.

**Konoha**

Down in the village of Konoha, the place came to a standstill as the mist finally lifted from the Monument, and what it revealed shocked and appalled many of those gathered around the peaceful village.

The face looked like that of a kabuki mask, with a dark purple line down the center of his forehead; purple that traced both his eyes, and lines that extended from them. One straight from the crease in the eye, the other went down, and to the right/left from the eyes, parallel to the one running from the eye. Finally to finish the look was purple paint running across his mouth, down to his chin, and then covering it almost like a chin strap.

The Nidaime's face was also done in a Kabuki like mask, with a similar purple paint tracing his jaw line, and then coming up to meet on his nose. There was also a small amount of paint that crossed the jaw at where his jaw would have hinged together, creating a small triangle on each side of his jaw. His chin had a thick purple triangle that came up to his lips, which was also colored purple. To finish his look off, his eyes were traced in purple, and had the same small lines leading away from the corners of his eyes.

The Sandaime's face was different then the others, in which it were painted to look very similar to his younger self. His hair was painted a dark brown, dark enough to be able to tell the difference from the rock it was carved from. Who ever had done it also seemed to put a great deal of work into the detail of the hair, and the face. The only thing that might be considered insulting to the image was what looked like a massive nosebleed coming from the Sandaime's face, and the words Ero-Jiji written across its forehead.

The Yondaime's face was painted a pale white, with a pink tint to it. The entire look made it look very similar to that of a Geisha. Even his hair was painted a midnight black, which made his face look even paler then before. The only things that stood out were the bright blue eyes, and the large red lips he was given.

Over all the villagers were all shocked at what they were seeing, while many of the younger generation tried to withhold their laughter until out of sight of the older generation. Many were left wondering who would commit such a crime, while a few others seemed to be able to guess in one try, but only would knew who had done it with out even seeing the sight, and only hearing about it.

That person was currently mumbling about how troublesome his mother was for yelling so early in the morning, and grumbling about people doing plans with out the others to help.

**Forest of Death**

Naruto was sitting in one of the massive tress that lived in the Forest of Death. Currently he was only at the outskirts of the forest, not daring to try to go further into the dreaded forest of Area 44.

He was currently reflecting on the events of the previous night, and thinking about the pranks he had pulled on a number of people of he felt deserved such things done to them. He felt that he had done something he would continue to enjoy, with the pictures he had taken and all.

He also couldn't help but feel down for some of his behavior during the night, like fighting with Hikari, when she was only trying to do things for his own safety. But after mentally arguing with her, and being slammed into the ground from rapidly increased weights, they finally made up. He couldn't believe he had been too dense to realize who his father was before Gamakichi told him anything.

_**Flashback**_

Naruto was sitting atop of the monument, and slowly pulled open the scroll given to him by Gamakichi. As he unrolled it upon the ground he could see several bloody handprints, finger prints, and tear stains. There was also what looked like small flipper prints across the scroll made in black ink.

"_Dear Son,_

_If you are reading this then I have succeeded in the sealing of the Kyubi, and lost my life in the process. I thought something like this might happen, which is why I wrote this final message before leaving to perform my last act as a husband, as a father, and finally as the Yondaime Hokage._

_Before I leave to perform the sealing, I felt the need to write a few things down for you, just to let you know I did care for you, and still do care for you, even with the great burden I am being forced to put upon you. In the end my only hope is that you will live up to our family name._

_The first thing I need to tell you is that you are not alone, or should not be alone in your life right now. I am not sure if you know of this or not, but your mother is still alive Naruto."_

Naruto froze when he heard those words; he had a mother who was still alive. He had thought that all of his family had passed away years ago… But if she was alive, then how come she hadn't come for him yet, where was she?

'_Nee-chan, do you know anything about my mother?'_

"_**No, Naru-chan, I don't. I only knew your father, and I've already told you his final words to me. If I had known about your mother being alive, I would have told you something about her."**_

Sighing, he continued to read, this time a little more eager then when he started.

"_I don't know when you are reading this, but you wouldn't be reading it unless the Toad Boss, who should be Gamabunta, feels you are ready for this news. I only hope that your mother has found you, and all is well. If not, let me explain what happened that may cause her to be away from you._

"_Your mother would have to be the most stubborn person I've ever meet, and yet she is also the most beautiful person I've ever meet as well. When we found out the Kyubi was going to attack, or at least heading towards Konoha, she was one of the first to go to the front lines, even in her current state. Her ability to lead charge after charge at the Kyubi, hoping to stall it long enough for me to discover a way to defeat it._

"_**She must have been the crazy woman with the short cropped purple hair. She led many Shinobi to attack me, and made sure all returned to the village, even if they were not alive. I could tell she had the respect of everyone around her. I did not think that a woman who fought as fiercely as her could ever be with child though."**_

'_Don't call my mom crazy Nee-chan, now let me finish'_

"…_**.."**_

"_It was during one of her assaults on the Kyubi that she suddenly went into labor, and had to return to the hospital. When she did, word was sent to me, and I went to be by her side while you were being born. The loss of both of us greatly affected the moral of the Shinobi, but there was nothing we could do about it. We could only hope that they could hold the line long enough for us to return."_

"_**So that is why the battle shifted suddenly…"**_

"Hush Nee-chan, I want to know what happened."

"_It was during this time that I told her of the only way we could stop the Kyubi. There was no way to defeat a being as powerful as it, so we would be forced to seal it into a container. No ordinary object would be suitable, so that only left a living entity. No animal would be able to withstand the power that the Kyubi commands and any adult would also be killed before the sealing could be completed. This only left that of a young child, one newly born, and with Chakra pathways that were not yet developed._

"_The only way to seal Kyubi would be in that child, since it's pathways would be able to withstand the power of the Kyubi, and adjust to it over the child's life time. This is where we came to a problem though. We both knew that despite what the child would likely be giving up, that it would lead a rough life. I wish it was different, but it would only be human nature to place the blame of the deaths tonight on that child. _

"_There was also the fact that as the Hokage, I could not possibly ask someone else from within the village to give up their child for such an act. Even though that baby would have a family to care for them, I could not do something I was not willing to do myself. To this your mother agreed, and told me it was our duty, and responsibility as the ruling family of Konoha to do this._

"_I think I should also point out now that there are very few people who know about my marriage to your mother, and fewer who knew of her being with child. In fact the number who knew of you totaled one, and that was the Med-nin that delivered you. Her name was Rin, and she was also one of my greatest students. I made her promise me she would never release this information to anyone, as few would believe her due to the secrecy surrounding our marriage."_

"I wish he would hurry up and get to the point; I want to know more about my mother."

"_**Be patient, I'm sure he will get to it. From the looks of things this was several hours before the final confrontation between us. But perhaps no more then an hour or so after your mother seemed to have gone into labor. I'm surprised to see that you were born so soon, but it could be that the strain of battle made it go quicker for her."**_

"_During your birth your mother was in extreme pain. She was suffering from Chakra depletion, and several severe wounds that she received while battling the Kyubi. It was amazing that both of you were able to live through the experience. This could be a testament to both of your wills to survive, as well a Rin's ability. What ever it is I am extremely thankful for that both of you survived._

"_While both you and your mother survived this trying experience, sadly things were not as good as they seemed. Shortly after you were born your mother slipped into a coma, and there was no way to revive her at that time. If she stayed in the hospital there is no telling what may have happened to her with the Kyubi coming closer to the village. That is why I made another tough decision; one that I hope did not turn out for the worst._

"_I asked Rin to take your mother away from the village, and only return when she was able to wake from the coma. At first Rin argued with me, and told me that there was no way she could do such a thing, as it would leave you alone in the village. But I managed to convince her it would be for the best, as there was no way to guarantee that either of them would be safe in the hospital. _

"_Once she agreed I had her do several things. The first was to completely clear all records of either of them being in the hospital for the birth of a child. This was to ensure that those who knew of our marriage would not know of you. It also served to ensure that any enemies I have made, which would include the entire Country of Earth, would never know of me having a child, or of your mother's current state. _

"_I also had her removed any and all DNA information of your mother from all sources, including the ANBU archives located underneath the Hokage Tower. This was to make sure they would have no way of tracking your mother through you, once again for the same reasons listed above. I would have had her do the same with my information, but she would not be able to access that portion of the archives._

"_Once this was done I sent her to retrieve a few of your mother's personal object from our house, and return with some of her own personal belongings. This was because I would be sending them far away from Konoha, and back to your mother's homeland. There she would be safe until she came out of her coma. I can only hope that she is still safe today when you are reading this message._

"_Finally I had to create a dummy name for you, one that would not link you to us for your protection. The name came to me while I was looking upon the crest adorned by many Jonin and Chunin. I decided upon the family name Uzumaki, and that is what I would tell the first person to come across me after the sealing. This is also what I had Rin place upon the false Birth Certificate I had her create._

"_I told Rin that they were not to ever return to Konoha until your mother was ready to, since it would cause a great deal of pain, and stress upon her. I can not tell you where they went, as I'm sure you would charge off to find them no matter what your current position is in Konoha. So I am sorry my son, but you will have to wait for them to come to you. I know it will be hard, but it must be done, I feel this is the best solution._

"_I'm sure I am getting on your nerves by now, with never telling you of your mother's name. I suppose I should go ahead and tell you now, since each child should know the name of their parents. Her name was Kusanagi Motoko, and is the only woman to ever completely capture my heart and soul._

"_She was an extremely beautiful woman, with short violet hair that she never let go past her shoulders. It was as soft as silk, and always calmed my minds when I ran my hands through it. She was just a little under five and a half feet tall, and was a head strong woman. Many people of Konoha often referred to her as a lone wolf, or _Princess Mononoke, _or the _Princess of Spirits and Beasts. _She was named this because many thought she embodied the spirits of animals when she fought. She was a quick as a snake striking, and as cunning as a wolf. She seemed to have the strength of a bear, and the speed of a cheetah. People would swear that when they faced her in battle it was like facing the animals of the wild themselves. _

"_Her eyes were just as magnificent as the rest of her. Those deep purple pools of hers… I could get lot in them for a lifetime and careless. They were also the doorway to how she was feeling. They would become soft often when she was walking by children who were playing with their mothers. It was almost as if she longed to start a family of her own, just waiting for the right man to come along, and how I wished to be that man. I just never had the courage to go up to her, and speak with her outside of missions. Even then I would have to fight my nerves, and do everything I could to keep from stuttering around her._

"_She was a fierce woman on the battle field, and would never let any man best her. Yet she was the epitome of beauty. I had never seen any one like her, and feel in love with her at first sight. She strived to prove that a woman could do anything just as well as a man. So sure in her skills was she that she even pledged to marry what ever man could defeat her in combat. _

"_I was so caught up admiring her one day that when she challenged me I dumbly agreed to it. It was only as her Kusanagi came slicing towards my neck did I realize what I had done, and tried my best to stay alive. Somehow she knew I was holding back, and told me not to pity her just because she was a woman, and if I had to do such things then I was no man, but only a scared child._

"_That was all it took for me to snap out of my self doubt, and fight her with everything I had. We continued to battle for the better part of the day, and spanning all of Konoha. From the Hokage Monument, to the deepest and darkest parts of the Forest of Death we continued in a stalemate. It was nearly nightfall when finally a victor was made known._

"_She had just tried to finish me off that I was able to perform my _**Hiraishin no Jutsu **(Flying Thunder God Technique)_ that I was able to get behind her and pin her down on the ground with a kunai to her throat. With no way to escape I became the first person to ever defeat her in single combat. From there it was like a dream come true for both of us, though at times it was a nightmare to me. Your mother can be caring, but upset her and you would wish you had to face all nine Biju instead of her._

"_With that said, I have no doubt she will recover from her coma, and be with you as soon as possible. Do not give up hope in her, she is a strong woman, and will fight with everything she has to see what type of man you have turned into._

"_I must hurry up now, and add a few quick things. First, should you be reading this after you have become a Genin, I suggest looking up one of my former students, his name is Hatake Kakashi, and ask him to teach you. When you go I want you to take something with you, something that I have been working on to repair for him, his father's Chakra Fang. _

"_There is a story behind it, but I do not have much time left, I have spent a great deal of time writing already. I can see the Kyubi nearing the village, so I will have to wrap this up. Kakashi is a great man, though lazy and perverted at times. He can be a great teacher for you if you wish to learn anything from him. He may be a bit upset when he sees the Chakra Fang, so bring this scroll with you, and allow him to read it. This will let him know how you came about the weapon, and just who you are._

"_I can only hope he has treated you respectfully up until then, but if not, feel free to give him something to think about, because I know I taught him better then that. Now there is also one other thing, the special seal that I am going to request from Gamabunta to place on you. It will allow the toads to always be able to find you no matter where you are, or how much Chakra you have. This is mostly for observational purposes, as it will only allow some of the smaller ones to travel between our world and the Makai, or Demon world. This is how Gamabunta will be able to tell if you are ready for this scroll."_

"Wait, you mean summons are demons too?"

"_**Yes summons are considered lesser demons. They are the demons that can cross into the human world with the aid of summoning contracts, or small portals that connect our worlds. The more powerful demons can not travel so easily, and are normally sent back when found. The Biju are special in that we received special permission to travel the lands, but once our given task is done we must return to the Makai."**_

"I'll file this in interesting, and strange new information.

"_I did this because of my enemies, from those who resent me within Konoha, and those from outside of the village. There are a number of people to be wary of my son; some of them live with in our own village. The Uchiha are amongst those, as well as an old man by the name of Danzo. _

"_The Uchiha are a clan in the village, a very well known clan because of their _**Sharingan**_ blood line limit. It is also because of this trait that they feel they are better then the others of the village, or at least those in power do, much like the Hyugas sadly. Should they know you are my son, I dread to think of what they might do._

"_Danzo is a man who would sooner see you as a weapon of the village rather then a human being. He is an old war hawk who can be seen crawling in the lowest and slimiest places in the village. He once commanded an elite ANBU unit known as _Ne, _or Root, which only answered to him, and no one else, unlike the rest of the ANBU Black Ops. He often has his own agenda, which normally revolved around turning us into a nation of war, instead of peace. He would like nothing more then for us to cut all alliances to other countries, and go to war with each of them. He is an extremely dangerous man, and it was because of that, that I officially disbanded _Ne_, though I have no doubt he will more then likely recommence his plans once I am gone._

"_Stay away from this man as much as you can if you have not run into him already and never trust anything he says. You will know him from his appearance; He is a badly scarred man, with bandages that cover the top half of his head, and his right eye. He is also bandaged over majority of his body, and walks with the aid of a crutch; but the one thing that will let you know who he is would be the "x" shaped scar on his chin._

"_My son, I wish to say one final thing, and that is that I am sorry. I am sorry that we must place this burden upon your shoulders, but there is no one else who I can trust to do it. I believe that you will make me and your mother proud, by being the man we would both want. I hope that life is not too harsh for you, and that you would be the kind of person to forgive and forget for transgressions done by those who are ignorant. Do not take it out on the fools of villagers, but focus it into something more productive. Do not let the anger and hate run your life, but instead live your life how you wish to live it._

"_I must be going now, before I perform the sealing I must summon 'Bunta, and give him this scroll, as well as create the special summoning seal on you. I trust 'Bunta will have given this to you when he saw fit, and I ask you trust his judgment. I'm not sure what will happen after the sealing, but I suspect that I will lose my life in the process. It would be a miracle if I am able to survive, seeing how I am going to be summoning the _**Shinigami, **_or _**Death God**_ to assist in it. Such acts normally call for a soul paid for the services rendered, so I guess this is goodbye Naruto._

_Your loving father,_

_Kazama Arashi."_

Naruto sat there upon the monument thinking about what he had just read. Sighing, he fell back against the damp grass as his thoughts ran wild. He could hardly believe some of the things he was told, yet they had to be true. Hikari remembered fighting his mother, and obviously she remembered fighting his father.

"Maybe I should do what he said, and pay Hatake Kakashi a visit, but I know who he is, and he doesn't seem to care for me all that much. Hmm, tonight has been such a fun night for me, it is a shame it would be ending soon, unless I… Yeah I think I will do just that…"

"_**This can't turn out to be a good thing, before you do this, why not return the scroll to your room at least?"**_

"Yeah yeah, I will Nee-chan so don't worry about it. You do know I'm still slightly pissed at you for not telling me who my father was sooner right?"

"_**Yes, and I will make it up to you when you finally get some sleep, promise."**_

"Alright, operation Hyuga, Hatake infiltration and sabotage is underway. Just one problem though, the plan was for three or four people to do it. So how can I do it myself…?"

It was then that he rolled over onto his right arm and felt a small surge of pain coming from the seal tattoo upon it. It was then that he realized just who could help him.

**Present**

He could hardly imagine why he decided to do one of Shikamaru's greatest plans, but he did it, and hopefully no one would know it was him. But he was really surprised that he was able to make it into the Hyuga compound so easily with the **Kitsune Genkaku**. But it seemed that his ability with it has increased to another level, one where it nearly masked his presence completely, even from the **Byakugan. **How well he wasn't sure since he had suppressed his Chakra to nearly nothing, so he wasn't going to try his luck twice.

Summoning a few dozen toads also helped him perform his little mayhem of fun. He could only wonder what Gamabunta would be saying to his family when he found out what they helped to do. It was also during this that Naruto couldn't help but feel closer to a number of the toads, who he was told by Gamakichi, had watched over him throughout the years. Each of them shared his feelings for pranks, and mischief, and he felt he could really get to like the toads finally.

Sighing, he slowly started to stand up from his branch to get ready to meet the others at Tenten's shop, and from there he would take them around to buy their equipment. Jumping down and over the security fence, Naruto quickly made his way towards Konoha, and his friends with a smile on his face.

**Higarashi Weapon Shop**

Hinata had wasted little time in going to the others and letting them know when and where Naruto wanted to meet them, ten thirty in front of the Higarashi Weapon Shop. When she went around to gather the others, except Tenten, they were each surprised that they had forgotten such an important detail, even the genius Shikamaru was stumped on how they could forget that.

It was also during this time that they each got to see something that Shikamaru, Hinata, and Choji helped Naruto to plan, the painting of the Hokage faces. Granted there were a few minor changes to them, like the Ero-Jiji written across the Sandaime's forehead. They were surprised he did it so soon with out their help, and wondered how he could pull it off with out the help of others. But if it was one thing they knew, it was to never count Naruto out.

There was one thing they knew though, not to chance talking about it. Since there seemed to be several pranks done across Konoha, many people would blame Naruto, and follow him hoping to see him admit to it. So they would follow their unspoken rule of silence when all things prank related were concerned.

Each of them was busy thinking these things over that they never noticed when Naruto finally walked up to them. It wasn't until he nudged Shikamaru with his foot that they realized he was finally there.

"Man, how could you forget to set the time for us buying our supplies? Then you show up two minutes late on top of that, just what kind of Shinobi are you?" groaned out Shikamaru.

Naruto could only smile at his friends, and all seemed to be silently laughing at the little jab between friends.

Naruto just nodded his head lazily, and motioned for them to head into the shop, and to begin what would probably be one of his worst days ever.

It was this action those gathered by surprise, but they followed none the less.

Once they were all inside of the shop, Naruto quickly walked through all of the aisles, almost as if he was checking to see if there was anyone else there besides them. Once done he came back towards the group, and gave them all a disarming smile.

"Sorry guys, I just don't want anyone else to know I can talk yet. I kind of want it to be a big surprise when we go back on Monday. I don't mind talking in here, since I trust Tenten's dad, and it's easy to spot people here. So when we are outside or someplace, just act like we did before I left, at least until Monday, then I can surprise everyone." finished Naruto with a devilish smile, meaning he planed on doing something very evil to the people in their class. This also reinforced Tenten's happiness that she was _not_ in his class, as he liked to do amusing things to those who crossed him.

"Okay, so you will all need some weights like the new ones Tenten got me, so if she doesn't mind, she could help in sizing everyone up, including herself. While you are doing that, I need to go into the back room, if I'm not back by the time you are done, just look around for things you might like to have and learn how to use." with that Naruto waked behind the counter, and into the back room where the forge area could be found, as well as where all metal working takes place.

Tenten lead the others to the section of the store dedicated solely to training weights, and couldn't help but wonder what Naruto would need to talk to her father about.

Naruto walked into the back room, and down a long hallway, and as he walked he couldn't help but noticed the dramatic increase in the heat. He had been back here before, but never had it been this hot, which could only mean that the old man Satome was working on something special.

Slowly, Naruto made his way into the iron works portion of the store, and looked around for Tenten's father to discuss the training coming up. Pausing for a moment at the door, he listened for the tell tales signs of a hammer striking an anvil. After several minutes of moving around piles of scrap metal, and troughs of water he finally found the elder Higarashi standing over an anvil with his hammer pounding down upon metal held down firmly in a set of glowing red tongs.

Naruto waited till the man had placed the metal into a water trough to make his presence known.

"Hey Satome-Jiji, it's been a while hasn't it?" yelled out Naruto to be heard over the roar of the fire pits.

Surprised, Satome turned around to see who had come into his sanctuary uninvited, only to see a clump of blonde hair he had missed the previous weeks.

"Naruto, is that really you? My boy where have you been, and when did you get your voice back? I had thought the worst when I felt a pulse of the Kyubi's Chakra. I think we all were, now you are not leaving here until you tell me EVERYTHING!" finished an ecstatic Satome as he cleared room on one of the benches inside of the room.

"I know, sorry I didn't write Jiji, but I was on a top secret mission with Nee-chan, and we ran into some trouble. A guy named Momochi Zabuza, a real nasty Kiri Nuke-nin, and his gang. They roughed up Nee-chan, and I came around and scared off two of them with some of my frag grenades. After that I had to run and hide Nee-chan since she was beat up after fighting off at least four different opponents. After I did that I went back to try to lead them away, and when I did I ended up having to fight Zabuza myself."

Satome sat and listened to the story, hanging on each word that came out.

"When I fought him, it was one of the toughest fights ever, but he wasn't a Jonin for nothing. I had already used up all of my grenades, and only ended up pissing him off by using the few academy jutsus I know. There were a few times he nearly sliced my head off, but a quick **Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique)and a flash bang left me walk away intact. It was just as I was at my last legs that I saw the last flunky for Zabuza come into the clearing with Nee-chan, and they told me to surrender or she dies.

"That's when I snapped I guess and called up Hikari-nee-chan's power, and started to do some real damage to him. But it didn't last for long, because he some how got behind me, and um well let's just leave it at that and fast forward…"

The old man only nodded, he could tell by the way the boy spoke of the incident that something bad happened then, that he did not wish to relive.

"After that fight Nee-chan and I ran into someone we have been looking for at least four years. When we did she healed us both up, and helped to cure me of my other problem. From there we meet Ero-Sennin, Jiraiya, and made our way back here to Konoha. Along the way they taught me a few things, and I won a bet with Baa-chan, Tsunade. That is what brings me here today…"

"Ah yes, the training from Tsunade-sama, Tenten has told me a great deal about the offer, and your idea to assist her in the training. I must say, I could use another set of hands around here, but with Tenten gone I will have to do a great deal of teaching, which will only put me behind on orders. So it would take more then just you to make up for her being gone sadly." finished the elder Higarashi sadly.

Naruto nodded in understanding, after all he knew little to nothing about the forge, and would have to be taught things; not to mention he would likely screw things up while learning. That could only mean he would have to be a quick study, or that there would have to be more hands to help. His training was already a head of his friends, and he couldn't, and didn't want to take away from that valuable training time. It was with that, that he was able to make up his mind, and come up with a solution.

"I don't know Jiji, the others have a lot to learn from Baa-chan and Ero-Sennin, and I don't know if there is anyone else I could find to help. I can only try to learn things as fast as possible, and I will stay here all day every day until I learn what you have to teach me if need be. Maybe once they get started I can bring some of them in to help, which may not take long depending on what they are going to be taught."

Satome could only smile at the boy's eagerness to help him, and also help his friends at the same time. He had seen the way the boy worked, and knew he could do just what he said if he put his mind to it.

"Very well Naruto, while you are out today, I want you to find any and all books on weapon and armor making. Read those when you are not doing your training for Jiraiya-sama, or Tsunade-sama. My method is different from what more modern smiths, in that I still do the more traditional style of forging. This does require a great deal of stamina and strength, but it will not be easy, as Tenten can confirm. Now why don't you hurry on your way, and finish up your errands for today."

"Thanks, and I promise not to let you down. Besides, I have another way to help you out some, but it involves Tenten mostly. I'll see you tomorrow though, thanks for letting me help, and allowing Tenten to do this."

"We will start on Monday Naruto, that way you can learn some of the basics before then. I expect you to be here at four in the morning, then when it is time to head to the Academy you can go. After that we will try to work on a schedule for you, I will talk with Tsunade-sama as well to work on it."

With those parting words Naruto walked back towards the front of the shop to see how his friends to see just how badly he will have to repay Tsunade.

He was surprised to see everyone with a small amount of items, mostly weights, training clothes, and a few new sets of kunai and shurikens. Smiling he walked up to each, and as he did looked around to check for others in the store. Once he was sure, and he reached his friends, he started to speak.

"I talked to your dad Tenten, and he agreed to me helping him out. He wanted to know if someone else could help, but you guys won't have time to any time soon. So he told me to get some books on weapon and armoring forging. I start Monday morning at 4 a.m., and come back after heading to the Academy." He watched as a smile spread across Tenten's face, one which Naruto made Naruto wonder if his earlier proposal was a smart thing to do.

"Any ways, let me see what other things you will need. You have the weights, and some durable clothes and gear, but I think you all should get something else from here, something any Shinobi should have, a weapon style. I know I know, the Hyugas have the **Juken**, and the Akimichi have their family Jutsus, but sometimes a good old fashioned weapon is also needed, which is what I spent some time thinking about last night."

Now three of the four gathered with Naruto were thoroughly confused. With some weapons there was no way to just be able to pick it up and learn how to use it.

"I know what you guys are probably thinking, and I agree, which is why I know the perfect instructor for weapons practice, depending upon the weapon of course.

"Choji, I know your dad likes to use a Bo staff, but I don't think that is your style, instead I think something like a war hammer would fit you. Not only that, but it also gives you something to toss around the battle field by breaking the ground up. Try to imagine the power you would be able to put into a swing of one of them with your family jutsus behind it. You could be a walking juggernaut when you learn to use it properly, and may very well be one by the time you become a Jonin.

"I had a hard time of thinking about one for you Ino, but I think the best one for you also fits your personality, the whip." Naruto started to duck a number of kunai being thrown at him by Ino, all the while laughing at her expense. He could also hear the sounds of Hinata giggling, Shikamaru and Choji laughing, and Tenten rolling around on the floor laughing in agreement.

"Ino relax and let me explain! The whip is a perfect weapon for you; it is flexible, and able to strike quickly when needed. It's also an easy weapon to hide for covert missions, and they come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Not only that, but it fits your domineering attitude perfectly!"

"_**That might not have been the best way to finish that thought up, because now she might be more then a little angry."**_

Surprisingly to both Naruto, and Hikari, Ino did seem to stop throwing her fit, and was now standing down the aisle from Naruto, with her right hand settled on her hip and a smile on her face.

"You know what Naruto, I think you are right. If anything, it will let me whip the hell out of you three good for nothing men!" with that she turned on her heels and huffed back towards the others.

"Ok since I am still alive, lets move on to the last two people. I wracked my brain last night, and tried to think of a weapon that would go well with both of you, Hinata-chan, Shikamaru. But I couldn't think of the right weapon for you two, so I was hoping the teacher could let you try all the weapons that she could think of. Shikamaru, you are just so lazy I could hardly picture you putting much effort into a weapon style.

"Hinata-chan, I can't really think of something for you, I guess I just have a hard time picturing a weapon for you. I'm sure though that there is one just right for you out there, it's just a matter of finding it. I know not everyone has a compatible weapon, but it doesn't hurt to try and find one. I'm sure you can find the perfect weapon for you if there is one.

"Now as for the teacher, she would be none other then the current Weapon Mistress of Konoha, and not even a Genin yet, Tenten Higarashi. I've known her almost as long as you guys, and she is great with just about any weapon that you see here in this shop. Her and her father also provide scrolls for training methods with the weapons that they sell here, which will be important for you Choji. Some of the weapons will involve strength, stamina, and agility training.

"If I know Aniki, Nee-chan, Baa-chan and Ero-Sennin, then I know they will be putting you through the same type of training. But aside from their training, I have my own that I want each of you to try and complete, it is one that has taken me nearly half of my life to get to a certain point, and that is performing jutsus with a minimum amount of hand seals."

Of his friends, the only one truly surprised that Naruto could do such a thing was Ino, since she still did not know much about him. But hearing this only made her realize how much more there was to Naruto then what you saw on the surface.

"The only thing I ask though is that you do not teach this method to anyone else with out my permission. It is a method I developed over the years, and I only want to give the method to my close friends, and family. Maybe someone else has come up with this method, or can develop it, but the only way one could develop this is by knowing things that I will share with you all. So please, understand this, and do not break my trust."

Each of the gather five nodded their heads in understanding, and making their own silent promises to themselves to do as asked.

"Great, then it's time to finish up shopping!"

With those final words the group set out to find the reselected weapons suggest by Naruto, as well as for different books, and various items they wanted to try. Some of the items bought that day included a Go board, Shogi set, a hundred pound four foot long hammer (the head itself was a foot thick and long), a simple leather whip, various herbs used for making ointments, jars, books on weapon handling (hammer, whip, and Tonfa), books on the forging of weapons and armor, and books of medicine, poisons, and the body.

Those were just a few of the things bought that day as the group went on a shopping spree to prepare for the event that would change their lives, and bring them closer together in the time ahead. By the time they were done that day everyone was dead tired and ready for a relaxing night at home and in bed. Even the lazy Shikamaru was worn out, and experiencing pain in joints and muscles he thought he never had. But each of them were glad for the time spent together that day, laughing, joking, and enjoying themselves as children should do.

**Konoha Academy**

That Monday was a surprise to a number of Shinobi hopefuls as they made their way towards the Academy. Never before had any of them seen the destruction done to the school, and that was including what had been repaired already. So it was easy to guess what the gossip focused on that day, including the things that happened over the weekend.

Over the past two days there was an increase in pranks, which served no other purpose then to humiliate several members of the ANBU, the Hyugas, supposedly random villagers, and a certain Gama-Sennin who was currently in the hospital, and hoping to retain the function of having children sometime in the future.

No one ever suspected what truly brought about these events, except for six people, five of which spent the last three days with the person. The final one was always looked over by his peers, seen as the strange boy with bugs; but he was always watching, and generally knew what was going on around him. He was perhaps the only student who actually knew what happened to the academy, and he was more then willing to leave it that way, at least till he could find the answers to his questions.

Naruto that day came to school a little earlier then most would have expected, though no one truly noticed him at first.

Today he was not his usual perky self, today he was dragging himself towards the school, and looked to be asleep on his feet.

It is important to note that Naruto is no stranger to going without lack of sleep, or little sleep. He is also no stranger to physical workouts, even those that are extremely strenuous. But it is also important to know that he is just an eleven year old boy, and care tire out like any other child, it just takes a little more to do it.

It is because of this that he started to have second doubts about helping Tenten's father at their shop.

When he had arrived that morning at 4 a.m. on the dot, he was asked to fill the water troughs and barrels with water from a nearby well. This would be easy except for the fact that it took him nearly ten trips for a single trough, and there were over eight of them in the room. The barrels were no different, numbering in the mid teens, and taking twice as much to fill as the troughs did. As to the fact that he had to do it two buckets at a time by using a yoke, and with his weights, it only made it that much more fun for the boy.

He vowed once he was done to find another method of doing this, one that would allow him to finish much quicker for himself, as well as the Higarashi family.

'_Tenten-chan must be stronger then she looks, that or she cheats. I wonder though, she often talked about a boy in her class who was really strong, and couldn't use his chakra; could he be the one that helped her?'_

The next thing he was asked to bring in several loads of coal. Not just a small pile either, but enough to fill twenty or so dumpster size bins. When asked to do this Naruto nearly fainted at the prospect of it. He could hardly imagine how Tenten was ever able to do this each day, but if she could, maybe she was stronger then she let others believe. What floored him the most though was that Tenten's little sister, a girl nearly half his age was also helping in the little ways she could.

Finally with the fuel in, and the water ready, they set about the task of stoking the fires, and pressing the billows. The forges were ready to be put to work, and thankfully in time for Naruto to head to the Academy, covered in soot, and grime. It was to this that his friends finally saw him come walking into the back of the class and stoically take his former seat in the back of the room, top right corner and by the window. Once there, he sat rather roughly in it, and let his head fall down to his cross arms on the desk, and enjoy the few seconds of blissful sleep he was allowed.

By this time Iruka had walked into the classroom, and without concealing it very well, looked to be in a far better mood then he was in the previous weeks. No one knew what caused it, but they were glad; a depressed and worried Iruka was always on edge and dealing out more punishments then usual. A happy Iruka was much nicer to them, and would let some things slide.

"Good morning class, I'm sure you have all seen the destruction done to the grounds. Do not worry about it, a spy was caught, and cornered here on the grounds where he attempted to defeat an ANBU squad by releasing a large number of explosive notes. Thankfully none of the ANBU was injured, and they were able to capture the spy for questioning.

"Now if you would please answer when I call your name for roll, well you all know the drill by now I hope. Once we are done with roll, we will be heading outside to our Taijutsu practice."

'_I wonder if Naruto will show me what he used to defeat Mizuki. From what Tsunade-sama and Shizune said not weapon they had ever seen could make such a clean cut.'_

**Flashback**

Sunday came around, and Iruka could be found at the Uzumaki house once again, sharing his knowledge of his students, and the Academy with the newly arrived Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune.

The day before they had asked him for recommendation on teaching methods, Shizune did at least, and who might be interested, or skilled enough to be introduced into the Med-Nin program that was going to be introduced. Out of the current class getting ready to graduate, there were only a handful of people who had the requirements set forth by Tsunade.

From the class behind that one he could think of only three possible choices, two of which Tsunade had already meet. The final one would be none other the Haruno Sakura, one of the smartest students of her year. But that was up for questioning though with some of the stories he had heard about Naruto the last few days.

It was after he made his recommendations that talk turned towards the events of Friday night, in which Naruto defeated Mizuki.

"I just don't get it Shizune; I've never seen any Shinobi tool make such a clean cut. To make things stranger, Mizuki claims all Naruto did was a single flip kick, and one punch the entire fight. The only jutsu he claims Naruto did was the **Kiri Gakure no Jutsu**, which doesn't help any. I mean if Naruto had done performed the **Kaze no Yaiba **(Blade of Wind), I could understand that clean of a cut.

"The way Mizuki described it was as if Naruto used a Taijutsu style similar to that of the Hyugas, or something similar to my style. I don't know what it was, but it could explain what he was doing the entire time we made our way here."

**Present**

Haruno Sakura was currently seated next to her "former" best friend, and rival for Uchiha Sasuke's affections. But instead of arguing over Sasuke like they normally do, Ino was strangely silent. That didn't disturb her as much as the fact that she had not seen Ino all weekend long, not for shopping, gossiping, or any of their favorite past times.

Sakura was still wondering what could have happened when she was snapped out of her thoughts by Ino's voice.

"Hey Sakura I have a question for you." asked Ino in a strangely pleasant voice, not holding the malice it normally did when they conversed.

"What is it Ino-pig? Going to tell me you gave up on Sasuke-kun finally?" responded Sakura, hoping to anger the blonde Kunoichi.

"No, it's not that, but in a way I guess it does concern that. You see I am going to be doing some special training till we graduate, and because of that I won't be able to work at my family's flower shop. So I was wondering if you would like to work there after school, my mom would pay you and everything and you could start as soon as you want. It wouldn't even be everyday, just on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday."

"Special training, now just who would want to train a pig like you? Better yet, who would want to even train with you Ino?"

Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, Ino calmly replied back.

"Look Sakura, I've done some soul searching I guess over the last few weeks, and I am trying to change the way I am. We have both been rather cruel to some people who didn't deserve that kind of behavior; even more so when they have tried to be polite with us. That is who I'm going to be training with, so now do you want the job or not Sakura?"

Sakura could hardly believe what she just heard, but a part of her was glad at the same time. With Ino gone it could only make the chances of her gaining Sasuke's heart even better.

"And one other thing Sakura, once I'm done with this training, I will be back, and Sasuke will not even notice you." added Ino with a knowing smirk on her face.

"_**YEAH RIGHT INO PIG! If you can train I will train just as hard!"**_ mentally shouted **Inner Sakura**.

"Fine, I'll help your mom out. But don't think I'll let you just win Sasuke's heart because you are doing some special training. I'll train just as hard as you do, and win him over!"

"Quiet down Sakura or else the rest of the class won't be able to hear their name called." shouted Iruka, causing Sakura to take on a light blush up to the roots of her hair.

"Now where was I, ah yes, Uchiha Sasuke," he paused as he heard a "here" come from the boy. He looked down at the role, and smiled at the next name on the list. After doing so he looked up towards the owner of the name and noticed him already with his head down sleeping in class; which only served to cause a vein throb into existence and his right eye to start twitching.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO WAKE UP, THIS ISN'T NAP TIME!" yelled Iruka startling several students who all became shocked to hear that name shouted once again. Now the fact Naruto was finally back in class did surprise the students, but not as much as what happened next.

The mentioned student slowly raised his head, and smiled down at Iruka who was still fuming.

"Hey, sorry about that Sensei, I just had one heck of a work out this morning, and I'm really tired from it. I'm here too, so no worries." came the groggy reply from the blonde haired boy, and earning shocked looks from everyone present. Upon seeing this Naruto only responded with a toothy grin to everyone that was now staring at him.

Shikamaru just mumbled "troublesome", while Hinata and Choji both giggled and laughed respectively.

Sakura was surprised to hear the silent blonde speak up for once, and started to wonder if he was just acting before. She also couldn't help but admire his voice, which was unlike anything she had heard before. _'No, I like Sasuke-kun, not Naruto-baka.' **"Bu Naruto does have a much nicer voice then Sasuke-teme, plus he is more friendly then Sasuke-teme." **'Well yeah, but I will always love Sasuke-kun, even though Naruto has always tried to be nice… Oh no, could this be the person Ino was talking about?'_

She was only greeted with silence from her Inner self, as she realized just what Ino was talking about minutes ago.

Kiba was doing the same as a number of other students, and wondering just where the hell Naruto had been, and what happened to him. Though he was curious, he was also having a small conversation with Akamaru, who was tucked into of his jacket.

"What do you mean you didn't sense him until he started talking boy?" asked a confused Kiba. The only thing he got back was a series of yips barks and whimpers from his faithful Ninken in training.

"But you've never missed someone like that, not even mom has been able to fool you. Then how could Naruto hide himself so well, I mean the last time he was here; he was terrible at hiding his presence." again he was only greeted with soft whines and barks from the little white pup.

"Yeah I guess we can only wait and see, who knows maybe he left to go get some treatment or training…"

Sasuke was the same, though he didn't visibly show it to those around him. _'How come I didn't sense him in the room? Even now I can barely tell he is there, what did he do while he was gone?'_ These were his silent thoughts on the subject.

Aburame Shino maintained his stoic façade, and continued to communicate with his bugs; with them nothing happened in areas of his interest with out him knowing.

"Alright class, time to head outside for the first lesson of the day" called out Iruka gaining everyone's attention. This was greeted with more then a few moans and groans of complaint by his students.

**Konoha**

A certain small group of friends were making their way through the village, some nervous over what might be happening next, others bored, and wishing they could just fall to sleep where they were.

"You could have told me about the things you had to do in the morning Tenten; I wasn't expecting anything like what I had to do. I think I have more respect for you and your dad then I did before. But you have got to tell me your secret, I mean are you stronger then you look, or did you get someone to help you out?" asked Naruto as he inspected Tenten, waiting for her answer.

"Um I don't know what you are talking about, it's just a normal day at a smith's house." replied Tenten nonchalantly, while tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Sure it is I guess that just means you cheat when you do the chores, that's fine though, I'll find a way to do them myself next time. In the mean time, you guys better hurry up, Baa-chan hates it when people are late." with those final words the small group of friends said goodbye to each other; at least good bye until they could meet later that night.

Tenten, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji went off towards the Uzumaki house, where they would learn what they would be learning. Choji and Ino both carried their weapons with them, and each of them carried bags with all of their workout equipment inside. They had all agreed that they would start wearing the weights at the same time, which would start when their training officially started up.

Naruto was off to the shop to start his lessons in the art of the blacksmith, hoping that the afternoon portion would be easier then the morning was. He wasn't sure what he would do if it turned out to be harder then the morning workout, but he knew no matter what he would continue on with it; he had made a promise to help them any way he could after all.

When the group arrived at the Uzumaki house, they were surprised to see Tsunade in more traditional clothing for training, instead of her usual wardrobe. Shizune herself was also dressed in clothing more suitable for training, and each of them had a small smile on their face as the group walked into the clearing around the house.

They could also see Anko, Ibiki, and Jiraiya in the clearing, though they stood behind the two Kunoichi mentioned before, and each had a similar look on their face. The only difference is Anko's grin look more sadistic then Tsunade's and Shizune's own. Ibiki's was barely noticeable through what seemed like a permanent scowl, and Jiraiya's looked more lecherous then anything else.

"Good you are here on time, if there is one thing I hate it is people being late to appointments. I'll say this now so there are no excuses in the future, do not be late, and if you are you add onto your exercises. Since today is your first day we will start off with just letting you know what you will be doing. So go inside and change in one of the guest rooms, or the changing rooms inside of the Dojo, do not forget your weights, and everything else you will be training with. That includes kunai, shuriken, hammer, whip, or what ever weapons you will carry. Think of it as being in full mission ready status, which is how you will always train, get going!" yelled out Tsunade causing the trainees to rush towards the house and quickly accomplish the task given to them.

"Jiraiya don't you even think about going over there! You could be tried and executed for even thinking about peeping on them!" yelled Tsunade once again, causing a certain white hair Sennin to pause mid step, and glare at Tsunade.

It took the group, including the ever lazy Shikamaru, less then five minutes to complete their task, which only showed Tsunade how eager; or in Shikamaru's case, how unwilling to be punished; the small group was. Each of them was in training clothes, which would allow them free range in motion, and offer some protection. Along with these clothes each of them had a holster strapped to their legs, fanny back around their waist (in Ino's case a whip was placed there as well. In Hinata's a pack with all her first aid supplies. Tenten had a number of scrolls strapped to, and hanging from her belt), a small field pack strapped to their backs, which contained essential supplies, and in Choji's case his large hammer.

"Good, from now on you will only have five minutes to change unless I state otherwise, any problems?" she paused briefly, more like a second long pause, "good, then we can start with some stretches, wouldn't want you to tear a muscle or crap up on me. After today you will be expected to do these on your own once you arrive and change. You will have a good thirty minutes to fully stretch before we begin the sessions.

"I expect you to take these things seriously, as you could easily pull or tear groin muscles, calves, thighs, and biceps, triceps, and numerous others that will be worked on during these sessions. You will all bring a canteen of water with you, and iodine tablets to purify water from the springs, lakes, and ponds in the area. While you are here the only thing you will drink is what I approve, and water is it for the time being. Caught doing something other then that and you will be punished severely.

"There will be no eating unless you are told to, so bring any food up here right now Choji." frowning, the young Akimichi walked forward and opened his pack to bring out his stash of chips, and candy, to set down in front of Tsunade and Shizune.

"Also, today I will be giving you handouts before you leave. These handouts will outline a **_STRICT_** diet I expect you to follow to the "T". I will know if you do not follow them, because I have spoken with your parents, and the staff at the Academy. I've also let some of the restaurants know about the diets that you are all on. You know, it is funny how much weight my name carries with it when I go to those places, they were more then willing to assist in this" added Tsunade with a devilish smile on her face, one that normally seen upon Naruto's face.

"Now I am not going to be too hard on you, I know sometimes you have to give into urges, but do not indulge in them too much. This is for you own health and future, so give it a try. I think you will be surprised at what I've put down for the diets, and goals I expect you each to meet while under this regime. Now let's stretch those muscles out!"

With that she started the process of showing them the stretches they were to do before each workout, and training session, be it Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, chakra control, sparring, or weapons practice.

After about an hour of getting them used to the stretches, and explaining the benefits of them, Tsunade moved on to the next order of business.

"Now for your physical exercises, you will be doing something very similar to what Naruto has been doing for half of his life. You will wake up around four or five in the morning, and you will start off with stretches. After stretches you will run "x" amount of laps around Konoha. Since some of you may not be used to it, the number will start out small. Today will only be 5 laps, but by next week it will be triple that. Each day this week you will add a lap onto the number you do each time. So considering you will start at 5 right now, tomorrow morning will be 6, and then that afternoon will be 7 and so on.

"You will all start out at 50 pushups, crunches, kicks, punches, pull ups,

"You will train five days a week, Saturdays and Sundays are your days off, where you can relax and goof around if you want. You will have Holidays cut to half day practices, but your studies will still count. There will be times that you are given scrolls of lessons you are expected to do on your own time. For the first month the first part of your training will be chakra control and first aide. After that you will be split into groups, but will continue to do Chakra control no matter who your instructor is.

"Hinata, after the first month you will be coming with me and Shizune, where we will begin to teach you and give you more work regarding the human body, medicines, ointments, and a great deal more concerning the Med-nin field. You will have the hardest work coming towards you, and it will be well worth it in the long run. I can not be expected to teach you everything in the short time we have, but if you wish you can continue after the time is up, which is when you graduate.

"The rest of you will be working more in the fields of Nin, Tai, and Genjutsu. You will also be drilled in your respective weapons at that time. While Tenten may be your age, you will treat her like you would any other instructor when she is drilling you. Is that understood?"

She was given nods of agreement from everyone, and a small squeal of delight from Tenten.

"Good now start on your laps, and to make sure everyone does them correctly, Anko and Ibiki will be going with you. I also want each of you to remember what Konoha stands for when doing these laps. Konoha is not the strongest of all the Hidden Villages because of our Ninjutsu, but because of something else. I want you each to think about it, and make us proud to be your Sensei. If after the first month you still do not know what makes us strong, I will discontinue your training, and move on to better things."

With those final words, Anko and Ibiki chased the group out of the clearing, and started the first of many circuits around Konoha. This left Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune there smiling at their young charges.

"So Tsunade-hime, you think they will live up to your expectations?" asked an intrigued Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, I don't think Naruto would be their friend if they couldn't. I could tell they have what it takes to make me proud, as well as their families when I meet them Friday. I can only hope they can find that in themselves as well and bring it forth to the top. I would hate to quit their training, but if they can not understand that Konoha is just like the trees that surround it, then I would be wasting my time." Finished Tsunade with a look Jiraiya had not seen on her face in years. It was a look of pure determination, one that made her look the rank of a Sannin, and not just another Kunoichi. Smiling, he grunted his agreement as he sat back down along the wall of the house, waiting for them to finish.

"So Jiraiya-sama, how do you plan to instruct Naruto-kun? He is going to be very busy with Tenten's father, and it will cut into your training time with him will it not?"

"Ah Shizune my dear, I've already thought about that, and I have come up with the solution to it, one befitting my superb intellect. I shall be teaching him a technique that will allow him to benefit from all he shall learn, and will allow him to be in multiple places at one." responded a smug looking Jiraiya.

"So you mean you are just going to teach him the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, and have a small number of clones at each session right? While I agree it is a good idea, it might be cheating him; at the most he should only have one Bunshin at each training session, and he will remain at the weapon shop doing his work there.

"I want him to work for everything he gets Jiraiya, and not have it handed to him. Don't spoil the brat or anything; we have to get him ready for what ever the Akatsuki may throw at him, as well as Orochimaru and this damn village. So work him like a slave, and remind him he needs to relax on his days off. I want him to be strong, but I also want him to be human."

The other two there with her only nodded in understanding and agreement to the woman's silent plea, and her spoken request.

**Konoha**

Naruto's time at the Higarashi Weapon Shop this afternoon was fairly nice this time around.

When he reported for duty, he only had to bring in more coal, and stoke the fires tell he was told to quit, and then work the billows until the right temperature was found. All of this was far easier then the work he did earlier that day. He also did some sweeping to clean up the shavings and ash from metal work that had been done before he came in, but he was glad it was simple work at the time.

Currently he was sitting at the front counter, and reading the books and scrolls he found on forging weapons and armor. The process seemed simple at first to him, but the more he read, the more he found himself in awe at the time and work that had to be put into the work.

Not only did it require stamina, and endurance, but it also required a very keen eye for detail. Each weapon had to be balanced and straightened perfectly, or they would be of no use to the user.

The knowledge of metals was important, since each metal had different metal points, and different levels of heat that would bring out the impurities of the metal being worked. Some metals would require multiple smelts in order to fully bring out all of the impurities, and so the work could be very tiring for the smith. Knowledge was also needed when attempting to mix metals, and alloys to try to create a stronger substance. Each of which could ruin an entire days work if the slightest mistake was made.

There was no doubt in his mind though that someone like Shikamaru would enjoy the inner workings and mixtures of the blacksmithing trade, even if he would complain about it being too much work. If there was one thing he knew about the young Nara; it was that he enjoyed a challenge.

The work put into this line of work was nothing short of incredible; with the hours put into each project. Some projects could be done in a single sitting, and require only a minimum amount of work. Other items could require a great deal of detail, as well as numerous man hours in finding the proper materials to ensure that the item being made is durable, and up to the specifications of the customer.

Overall Naruto could see himself either enjoying his time here, or coming to dread it; it all depended upon how quickly he could learn the trait.

There was one thing he was happy about though, and that was the customers were mainly villagers, and Ninjas who did not hate him. This was very important for him, as he did not want to cost Tenten and her father money because of who he was. The number of people who walked away could have been counted by Naruto with only three fingers, and he was more then willing to just give them a one finger salute for some of the remarks they threw at him.

**A/N:**

Well here is the latest chapter, and out before the one month mark. It is another long one, but had to add some things that I felt important to cover.

I didn't do much for the training, but it shall be covered in small flashbacks in the next chapter, and will live up to the name of Tsunade Interment/Slave Camp.

I wanted to try to make the letter a little different from what I used in my other story, and I think I did a decent job with it. It will also answer those questions about possible pairings for Kakashi, since he won't be paired up with Anko.

I have a question I would like to ask, should I give Hinata and Shikamaru weapons, and if so, any ideas on what would fit them? I want to try to find one that goes well with each person, and their style of fighting, or works well with the Jutsu that they use. I had a hard time coming up with something for those two, and would enjoy any feedback on this issue. I am thinking of trying to ensure that I have a weapon type for each person in the story, but only if the weapon suits them well.

Now an issue not related to the story. I will be disabling the Anonymous Review feature. This is mostly so I can reply back to the reviewers, and not have to use the space in the story for things not related to the story. It may cut down on reviews, but it will help the interaction I hope, besides, its not hard to get an account here, or to log in to reply.

**Jutsu: **Boy do I have a long list. I should have done this sooner, but I kept forgetting about it. From now on I will explain Jutsus, or Bloodlines that are mentioned in a chapter in the A/N. The only exception would be those that were explained in previous chapters in the Jutsu section.

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** / Shadow Clone Technique: Unlike the normal **Bunshin no Jutsu/ **Clone Technique, this jutsu creates actual clones of the user. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, which can be dangerous if the user is low on chakra or makes too many clones

**Bunshin no Jutsu **/Clone TechniqueThis technique creates a clone of the user, but it is an illusion, not a real copy like the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **/Shadow Clone Technique. The illusions will dissipate when they come into contact with anything. The illusions can be seen through by the **Byakugan** and the **Sharingan.** To these Kekkei Genkai, the clones look like balls of chakra. Also, a person with normal eyes can distinguish clones from the original if they watch very carefully.

**Kitsune Genkaku **/ Fox Illusion: This is a gift from Hikari, Kyubi no Kitsune, to Uzumaki Naruto. It was given to him for self defense purposes and hiding when he was younger. As he grew in age, so did the effects of the Kitsune Genkaku.

**Doton: Yomi Numa **/ Earth Release Swamp of the Underworld: This technique turns a large area of land into a sinking swampland, making it impossible for anyone or anything in that area to move around. The size of the swamp is proportionate to the amount of chakra used to perform the technique.

**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu / **Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique: The user, emerging from the ground below the target area, pulls down (or possibly swaps places with) the opponent so that only their head is above ground.

**Muon Satsujin Jutsu / **Silent Homicide Technique: As the name suggests, this technique is simply a very quiet method of killing an opponent, usually from behind with a blade. Additionally, because the user is so silent, it cannot be defended against. The user will often slit their opponent's throat, preventing any cry that might give them away. Momochi Zabuza was said to be a master of this technique, and was even good enough to track and kill opponents through sound alone

**Hiraishin no Jutsu / **Flying Thunder God Technique: This was the prized Jutsu of the Yondaime Hokage, and what earned him the nickname "Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō" or "The Yellow Flash of Konoha". Not much more is known about this technique at the moment, information regarding it is severely limited. Those who know how it works are very tight lipped about it.

**Kawarimi no Jutsu / **Body Replacement Technique: This jutsu lets the user quickly switch places with another nearby object, such as a plant (normally a section of a log), an animal, or even another person within reach, leaving the opponent open to a counter-attack.

**Kaze no Yaiba /** Blade of Wind: This jutsu creates a blade of wind. The blade is impossible to block because of its intangible nature.

**Kiri Gakure no Jutsu** / Hidden Mist Technique: This jutsu envelops the surrounding area in a dense mist, causing anyone within it to lose the advantage of visibility. The density can be controlled by the user, allowing them to create a mist so thick that they themselves cannot see through it.


	10. Festivals, New Friends, and Graduation

'_Thoughts'_

"**_Demon/Inner Self"_**

'**_Demon thoughts'_**

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

**A/N:** Was having a hard time trying to think of how to start off this chapter, so it might be a little rough.

* * *

**Graduation, Festivals, and New Friends**

Naruto could only grumble, and swear under his breath as he walked to the Higarashi Weapon Shop, late.

'_Why did that stupid dog boy have to pick a fight with me today of all days?'_ mentally shouted Naruto.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_**Konoha Academy**_

It had been just over three months since the intensive training had started for Naruto and his friends, and during those three months each of them started to feel like they were on a tour of the Seven Levels of Hell.

The physical work outs exhausted just about everyone, with Naruto being the only one who could stand when he joined on the rare occasions in the evening. Their laps had started to pile up, and so did the other torture, or exercises as Tsunade called them. Now they were in the middle of the winter season in Konoha and Fire Country, which only made the training all the harder.

Naruto was had started to get the hang of his work at the forge, and was even starting to work on simple projects like kunai and shuriken. He was also working on the new technique Jiraiya had wanted him to learn, **Muon Satsujin no Jutsu**.

The way Jiraiya started this practice for Naruto was of course anything but ordinary. The training for it required Naruto to walk around with bandoliers of bells strapped to his body, and he was to go about his day to day activities without having the bells ring. Needless to say he was not having a good three months.

Jiraiya had also tried to introduce Naruto to another new Jutsu, **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, which Naruto was more then willing to learn. The only problem, according to Jiraiya, was that he refused to use it to train in numerous areas while he himself did one thing. Each time this had been brought up by the white haired pervert, Naruto would just yell that he didn't want to cheat his friends or himself by using such methods. He wanted to learn naturally, just like the others.

Jiraiya had continued to argue with him, and would have still been arguing with him now had Naruto not threatened Jiraiya with Tsunade's wrath. This caused him to scuff at first, but when Naruto mentioned seeing Jiraiya trying to peep on Shizune, Tsunade and Anko, Jiraiya quickly shut his mouth and ran away to safety.

That didn't matter to him today though, as it would be the first day he got to work on something other then a kunai or shuriken at the forge. Today he would be trying his hand at a tanto that Anko had ordered, and requested for him to work on. He had found this out right before leaving the shop that morning, and so was on cloud nine when he made it to the school.

The start of the class had gone on as normal, as did most of the day. Naruto and his friends chatted together during lunch, and talked about training. They talked about what they were learning, and just what they hoped they could learn.

Naruto had learned that Tenten was starting to teach Hinata how to use a bow and arrow, since it seemed like a perfect weapon for Hinata to use with her **Byakugan**, and would allow her to use it in a very interesting way. Other then that, Tenten had her practicing with senbon, and retractable batons. These were the things that she seemed to show the most promise with, but out of the three she seemed to be better suited for the senbon, and batons.

Her medical training was also going very well, and with her family background, she knew about the internal systems fairly well already. This saved her a great deal of reading, and put her one up on Haruno Sakura; but she was quickly closing the gap between the two.

Ino was starting to work her whip into her Taijutsu attacks, and never did hesitate to snap them at Shikamaru or Choji when they started to relax; which was becoming a very rare occurrence now a days. She was also becoming more athletically built with the weights, and the exercises that they all had to do; she no longer complained about being fat to her friends. She was also thankful for the diet plan set out for her by Tsunade, and had been following it to the 'T'; with minor deviations when they were allowed to.

Shikamaru was also starting to enjoy the training, as his chakra reserves were nearly triple what they had been when he first started. He could already tell the benefits of this, and was more then willing to accept a few bumps and bruises in return for the benefits of the training. He had yet to find a weapon, but he was starting to enjoy using chained weapons, and found them to work VERY well with his shadow jutsus.

Choji was also starting to change, in the short time he had been under Jiraiya and Tsunade, he had trimmed down, and lost more weight, and replaced it faster then Ino could ever hope. No longer was he just a chubby boy, but a slightly chubby boy with muscles. His strength and speed as well as reserves also started to take leaps and bounds; much of it was due to the extreme weight the boy had to carry. He was working in his hammer to his family techniques, and fighting style very well, even surprising his father with the weapon a few times; who wouldn't be surprised to see a war hammer grow ten times it's normal size?

Sakura, who had joined them after their third week, was also coming along very well. While she hated to be working with Ino and Naruto, who seemed to annoy her just by being there; she quickly changed her attitude after a sound tongue lashing from Tsunade, and a threat to cease all training for her. After that she started to quickly rekindle her friendship with Ino, and was becoming friends with Hinata and Tenten. Her medical training was rough at first, but she didn't get the "Queen of Book-Worms" title for nothing.

Through out the lunch they continued to talk, none of them noticed the glares that were being sent towards one person in their group by two individuals, Uchiha Sasuke, and Inuzuka Kiba.

After their lunch break, they all went back to the slow boring grind of the classroom, many of the people in the class were starting to get used to the lull that was provided by the now silent Kunoichi, instead of the feuding ones that used to inhabit their class. No one knew what caused the change, but they were more then happy to not have the "Banshee Duo" shrieking at each other. Though now they had to put up with Naruto's rendition of "Jingle Bells" every time he moved, but at least it was a pleasant sound in small doses.

As Iruka walked into the room, and smiled as he took in the sight of his students, some of which would be some of the most powerful Shinobi Konoha had ever seen.

"Great news class, I have something special waiting for you outside," he was about to continue until someone, a certain blonde, interrupted him.

"Ah quit trying to pull our legs Iruka-Sensei, we know you just want to get rid of us for the day!" shouted the boy before quickly ducking an eraser aimed for his head.

"Since Naruto decided to shout it out… You guys have the rest of the day off, this is so that you could prepare for the festival tonight to celebrate the renewal of our peace treaty with Kumogakure, so you all need to head home and enjoy yourselves." Once he was finished, he looked around the room at the wide eyes of everyone, almost as if they did not believe a word he just said.

Well most eyes were wide; one set was downcast, and belonged to an indigo haired girl who could be seen visibly shaking. Said girl could also be seen slowly calming down as a hand found its way to her shoulder, and was covered in a black shirt, which lead up to a whisker marked face.

Understanding what the girl's concern was, he quickly looked back to the entire room.

"What, you are all still here? Get lost already I don't want to see you unless it's at the festival!" with those words the students quickly left the room, with the exception of seven of them, who left at a more sedate pace, Sakura, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Naruto, and Kiba.

The group belonging to the Sannin Boot Camp slowly made their way out of the room, and to the grounds outside. As they walked along several glances were cast back towards Hinata and Naruto, with Naruto trying to comfort Hinata, knowing the story behind her sudden change in behavior.

They were walking past the new Academy pond when a voice shouted at them from behind.

"Hey Naruto, we have some things to talk about!" shouted out a rough voice, which was followed by several barks.

The group quickly spun around to see the form of Inuzuka Kiba come bounding up to them with his faithful Ninken Akamaru on his head.

"Can it wait till another time or something Kiba? I don't have the time to sit here and talk; I have a lot of things to do before tonight." asked Naruto in a bored tone.

Kiba could only growl at the boy's behavior as he clenched a clawed fist.

"Well make time, because I'm tired of you thinking you are cool, almost as bad Sasuke. So let's settle this right here and right now, a fight to see who is the strongest, between me and you." growled out the Inuzuka, getting barks of agreement from his head piece.

Naruto and the others with him could only sigh at the boys words

"What, you can't be serious Kiba, that's just stupid! Why does it matter who's stronger then who?" shouted out Ino.

"Troublesome, I guess Kiba wants to have a challenge to see who the leader of the pack is, so to speak of course." mumbled Shikamaru, only loud enough for those around him to hear.

"PACK, what's does he think we are wild animals!" shouted Sakura this time.

Naruto could only shake his head at where this was going. Mumbling about dumb dogs, and leashes, he led Hinata over to Choji.

"Hey Choji, could you keep an eye on her, this thing with the festival is bringing up some bad memories for her." The Akimichi only nodded, as he prepared to play the role of teddy bear once again for his long time friend.

"I guess it can't be helped eh Shikamaru? With the relation the Inuzukas have with their dogs, they are bound to pick up a few traits of the Ninken. You guys stand back, I don't know what's going to happen." stated Naruto as he slowly turned and made his way in front of the pond.

Those that knew Naruto well enough could tell he was dragging, he had his shoulders hunched over, and his feet barely left the ground. They had also each heard about him increasing his weights that morning, to nearly two hundred pounds on each limb, and each weight (chakra weights and weight bands), of his body. If Kiba had overheard this during the break, it would explain why he decided to do this challenge now, and not another time.

Once Naruto was across from Kiba, everyone could see the fierce grin cross Kiba's face as he set Akamaru down on the ground.

"Any rules or stipulations Kiba?" asked Naruto as he moved himself into a fighting stance none had seen before.

Kiba didn't bother to answer as he charged before Naruto was settled into a stance. With a cry of **Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Four Legs Technique) Kiba dropped down on his hands, and charged at Naruto with a new speed. Jumping, and with his knee raised, he crashed solidly into Naruto's chest, sending him flying into the pond behind him.

Everyone watched as Naruto started to sink into the frigid water, sending bubbles to the surface. Smiling in triumph, Kiba turned towards Ino, Sakura, Choji, Shikamaru, and Hinata. As he turned he was greeted with the angered faces of Ino, Sakura, Choji, Shikamaru, and a saddened Hinata at what had just happened.

"Ha, I don't know why you guys are so bent out of shape, it's not like he was that great to begin with. Face it, now you have someone worthy of being your leader." was all he said as he started to walk over to the friends. He was stopped though by the sudden growling of Akamaru, who was looking towards the pond.

The surface of the pond started to bubble, and slowly locks of sun kissed blonde hair started to surface, which was quickly followed by a whisker marked face.

Once on the surface of the pond, Naruto just turned and smiled at Kiba.

"Is that all you got dog boy, I mean Ino hits harder then that, and that is nothing compared to Baa-chans punches. All you've done is piss me off, and soak me in freezing water." stated Naruto as he stood on the surface of the pond, shocking Kiba.

"What the, how are you doing that!" shouted Kiba while pointing an accusing finger towards the boy.

"Um, it's a simple chakra control exercise, I'd be happy to teach you some if you want." commented Naruto nonchalantly, eliciting another feral growl from the Inuzuka.

"Like I would ever let you teach me anything!"

With that he once again charged towards Naruto, but this time he reached back into his hip pack and pulled out a handful of shuriken to hurl at the blonde.

He was almost to the pond, with his hands still behind his back, and as he reached the edge he quickly brought his hands forward and threw the deadly projectiles, hoping to leave little room for Naruto to dodge the deadly objects, and rolling to the side of the man made pond himself.

Every one gasped as the objects hit the boy, and his blood started to flow from the wounds he just received.

However instead of the red river of his life giving fluid, they were greeted with the sight of water running down his body, and splashing back into the pond.

This only caused his friends to smile at the familiar trick that was played out before them, and made Kiba growl once again in anger and frustration as he started searching for the boy. He had just looked back towards the group of friends when he heard a voice shout out from the pond, and the jingle of numerous bells.

"Over here dog-breath" was all Kiba heard before he felt a punch connect with his cheek, and send him flying over to Akamaru.

This brought on a round of cheers from Naruto's friends, and a howl of rage from Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba made his way to his feet slowly, and reached back into his pouch and pulled out two little red pills. He tossed one to Akamaru, and popped the second into his own mouth; the affects was instantaneous on the two.

Kiba's scuff marks vanished, and his hair started to stand on end, and he started to become more feral looking.

Akamaru's changes were ever greater, as his fur turned red, and started to mimic a porcupine. He too looked and sounded more like a wild animal as he snarled at his opponent in front of him.

"Let's do this Akamaru!" with that Kiba dropped down on all fours, and Akamaru jumped onto his flat back. As one they started to shout out, or bark out, "**Jujin Bunshin"** (Beast Human Clone).

With that cry a cloud of smoke obscured Akamaru from view, and slowly lifted to reveal an exact copy of Kiba where Akamaru used to be.

Both beasts grinned as they revealed their fangs, and quickly charged at Naruto as he stepped onto solid land.

Moving faster then Naruto could at the time; they could hear one of the beasts howl out "**Gatsuga!** (Double Piercing Fang)**"** as they became twin tornados of teeth and claws and flew towards Naruto.

As they neared Naruto, Shikamaru and the others couldn't help but shout out at the blonde, as he showed no signs of avoiding the attack.

"Move it Naruto!"

"Get out of there you Baka!"

"Move!"

"Oh man it's going to nail him."

"Naruto-kun!"

'_Nee-chan, any chance I could talk you into dropping the weights a little, because this is going to hurt.'_

"_**Sorry Naru-chan, but that would damage your training too much. You will have to find a way out of this on your own."**_

'_Great, thanks for nothing.'_

Those were the things shouted by Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, and Hinata respectively. Each held their breath as the twin tornados crashed into Naruto, each of them expecting to see parts of him fly away from the epicenter.

As the twin tornados crashed into Naruto, a cloud of dust and debris obscured the combatants from view, and causing the spectators' breathe to catch in their throat, as they waited for the dust and debris to settle.

As it settled, the first thing they saw was the back of Kiba, right arm stretched out in the strike position, with the claws splayed; about even with where Naruto's chest would be. As the seconds went by they could see a second Kiba, in a similar position the only difference between the first Kiba and the second Kiba was the look of surprised that was on its face. No one could see why until all of the kicked up dust and dirt finally settled down to reveal Naruto.

It was not the fact that Naruto was finally revealed that shocked them, but the fact that he was wrapped up in a spiked shell of blonde hair that went down to his waist, and seemingly protecting him from the savage attacks. He was mostly standing, though slightly bent over to absorb more of the impact from the blows.

As Naruto stood up straight drops of blood could be seen starting a small pool underneath the combatants, with no one being able to tell who the fluid belonged to.

Finally the Kiba opposite of the crowd was surrounded by a cloud of smoke, and when it cleared it showed Akamaru down on the ground panting heavily. With a twist of his body, Naruto managed to twirl the spiked hair around his body similar to a cape or cloak as he finally revealed his body while exclaiming, **"Hari Jizo** (Needle Guardian) is a great defensive Jutsu to use, even if I can't use it properly because of my short hair."

Kiba was forced to jump away from Naruto, or be punctured like a pin cushion. As he landed he quickly took a roll of bandages from his pouch and wrapped it around his right hand before he glared at Naruto again.

"What the hell is that? I've never seen something like that before! Quit playing around and fight like a man!"

"Tough talk coming from someone who uses a dog to help him fight!" retorted Naruto.

Both fighters deciding to forgo any more small talk charged each other, both growling in anger at the other.

'_I guess I can't use my normal Taijutsu style, but it's going to be hard going up against Kiba without it. I might have to pull a few moves off.'_

"_**Do what you have to do, just don't go over board, or let instincts take over"**_

Nodding to himself, Naruto ducked under a punch thrown at his temple, and moved to sweep Kiba's feet out from under him. Kiba used his momentum from the failed punch to roll over the blonde, and as he landed he quickly threw a kick aimed for Naruto's head.

As the kick came towards Naruto, he was spinning as he finished the sweeping motion, and saw the blow coming out of the corner of his eye. Knowing he couldn't block in time, he did what came natural with four hundred pounds on each limb, fall forward onto his stomach.

Kiba noticed his kick never touched anything, and turned to face his opponent, and saw him face down on the ground. Grinning, he straightened out all of his fingers, and made a stabbing motion down towards the back of Naruto.

Naruto's sixth sense and ears told him a blow was coming, and he quickly rolled to his right and avoided Kiba's deadly claws as they drove into the ground buried up to his wrist. Kiba grunted as he tried to pry his hand free of the earth prison he had buried it into, and took his attention away from his opponent.

Naruto rolled over onto his stomach, and quickly started to channel chakra into his limbs to compensate for the added weight. Slowly, he started to rise from the ground in a strained pushup. Once up, he drove himself down towards then ground, then forcefully expelled chakra from his hands and feet to explode off the ground, and spin towards Kiba.

Kiba heard the explosion, and turned to see Naruto spinning over him, and land next to him. What Kiba saw wrapped around Naruto could only be described as a mini tornado as he landed, and spun around with the force of a tornado to catch Kiba in the face with the top of his foot. The force behind the kind, and the added pressure of all the wind that hit Kiba ripped his hand form the ground, and sent him flying like a top towards the spectators.

Screaming out in pain as he hit the ground, and rolled several yards, Kiba stayed on the ground for several minutes to let his vision stop spinning, and his stomach to settle down.

"Kiba, I don't want to fight any more, let's just call it quits before someone gets seriously hurt." calmly asked Naruto as he righted himself.

Kiba's only answer was spitting up a mouthful of blood as he staggered to his hands and knees, his body protesting to the movements.

"Like hell I'll lose you someone like you Goldie-locks! I'll beat you no matter what I have to do!" shouted out the feral boy as he moved into a crouching position before standing up on wobbly legs.

'_Damn, he can take a beating and keep going, even with all that added weight on his body. I thought he was supposed to be dead tired, and barely able to move right now, but I guess I was wrong. Come on, think Kiba, what can you do to keep him down for the count?'_ Was all Kiba could think as he brought his hand up to his mouth to bite down on it and calm himself down.

Thankfully the pain from the wound let him focus on something else, and allowed him to see Akamaru moving to a position behind Naruto. Kiba saw the nod from his companion, and inwardly smiled.

'_Well, there is something we could do, but I we haven't got the last part down good yet… But, the first part could buy me enough time to get in close and finish this. Guess we have no choice but to use _that_ technique. I was hoping to save it for a tougher opponent though…'_

"Alright Akamaru let's finish this now, **Dainamikku Mākingu! **(Dynamic Marking)" yelled the boy, causing Naruto's head to jerk in the direction of the small Ninken.

Hearing his master's command, Akamaru took off running towards his master's enemy, and jumped high into the air over his target. As he jumped he also twisted his body and started to do what came natural to all animals, urinated, creating a spiral of nasty liquid.

Those watching the fight scowled in disgust at the attack the two just did, and then started to cringe as the yellow liquid flew into the eyes and mouth of the stunned blonde.

"WHAT THE HELL, YOU HAVE YOUR DOG PISS ON ME FOR AN ATTACK! KAMI ITS BURNING MY EYES AND MOUTH!" shouted out Naruto as he started rubbing his eyes and spitting the disgusting liquid from his mouth.

Seeing his distraction was a success, Kiba charged towards the boy and delivered a savage punch to his temple, sending him skidding across the ground towards the pond, Kiba quickly giving chase. Once He had caught up to the blonde, he quickly slashed at Naruto's exposed chest, sending him flying once again towards his friends; stopping just short of colliding with them. He slowly got to his feet, and tried to keep his balance as he looked back towards where he felt the Inuzuka was.

His friends quickly tried to go to his side to assist him in standing, but were quickly told to back off as he stumbled towards where he could smell the water, even with the fowl smell of urine all over his body. Once there numbly fell into the frigid waters, and sunk to the bottom, letting the liquid wash the taint out of his mouth and eyes.

'_I'm going to kill that bastard…'_

"_**Don't kill, just castrate him, and let him bleed to death from his wounds… To think someone would use such a vulgar technique in a fight with an ally of the same village. I would show no sympathy if you severely injured him and that puppy."**_ added Hikari to Naruto's mental rant.

Once he no longer felt the stinging in his eyes and mouth, he started focusing his chakra to rise and pull himself to the surface of the pond. Once his head was out of the water, he placed his hands on the surface, and pulled his body up, almost like it was a solid surface.

"Wow, Naruto must have pretty good control to be able to do that instinctually like that. But he doesn't look to happy about what Kiba did either." stated Choji, and he pointed out the very obvious signs of Naruto's anger.

"Ha, you couldn't even dodge that. This is really pathetic you know that!" shouted Kiba as he started to gloat.

"You are just lucky I'm worn out from my morning work out, and I have these weights on me right now Kiba; otherwise you wouldn't be on your feet right now. But no more holding back now you flea bitten mutt." stated Naruto as he straightened himself on the surface of the water.

"Not only have you pissed me off by having me depend on this freezing water to clean that idiotic technique out of my eyes and mouth; but you made Hinata-chan cry, and have me freezing my butt off! No more kid gloves Kiba, I hope you and your mutt don't have any regrets!" yelled Naruto as he mentally pictured the hand seals he wanted to make.

As he landed on the final seal in his mind, he also performed it with his hands.

What Naruto did next surprised Kiba and his friends, as no one had ever seen the blonde perform any Jutsus besides the basics and the Mizu Bunshin. Naruto raised his head towards Kiba as he inhaled a deep breath of air, and threw his mouth open as if he was about to vomit.

'**_Futon: Daitoppa_**_ (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)_'

This caused an explosion of wind to fly towards Kiba, who was only feet away, and unable to dodge the incoming blast of air.

Kiba was surprised to see the blonde do this, but nothing matched the way he felt when the blast of air slammed into him, and sent him flying into one of the Academy training mats against the wall; which would have been the only thing saving him from serious injury.

Despite the mat Kiba was still more then a little shaken up, seeing and feeling such a blast of air coming from the small blonde. He gasped as he landed hard on the ground, and knocked the breathed out of him. He started to gasp for breath as he thought of what just happened.

'_What the hell, I didn't see him do any hand seals.'_

His puzzlement didn't last long though, as Naruto had once again mentally envisioned a set of seals, and stopped on a new one. This time he let his chakra flow into the water underneath him, and started to mold it.

'**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique)'

As he mentally said those words, the water behind him started to rise into the air and wrap around him as it took the shape of a giant sea serpent. It slowly twisted up into the air above Naruto's head, once it was over it's creator, it let loose a ferocious roar that cause Akamaru to quiver in fear, and quickly run behind a tree for protection. Finally, it set its eyes on its target, and flew towards the stunned Inuzuka.

Kiba's eyes went wide at the sight of the water dragon that was roaring towards him, its watery fangs dripping with excess water as it came towards the boy.

His following scream pain was drowned out as the dragon hit him, and sent him back against the wall, until finally dieing down after several seconds. Once it died down completely there was nothing left but a large puddle, and a soaked dog.

"That wasn't even full power Kiba, only about a quarter of it. So do you want to continue, or call it a day?" asked Naruto as he slowly started to allow himself to relax.

Kiba scowled at the boy as he tried to get back to his feet, and failed miserably as he started to slip in the puddle of mud he now sat in. Figuring he had to get out of the mud and away from the wall, he started to crawl out of the puddle, and then slowly moved back to his feet. This time when his eyes meet Naruto's, they held a primal rage in them.

Naruto meet the eyes of the Inuzuka with equal rage at the shame brought onto him by the last attack from Kiba.

No one could tell, but inside Naruto was fighting the change that was trying to break free. The only sign of the change that could be seen on the outside was in his eyes, which slowly started to narrow and the blue portions had silver leaking into them.

"How, how did you do those jutsus without ever doing any hand seals, and where did you learn them? How did the dead last of our class know a strong water jutsus and a wind jutsu…" pleaded Kiba, as he swallowed his pride for once in his life. As he said this he slowly made his way to Akamaru, and checked the small Ninken for any severe damage, only finding the shallow cuts from the impact with the first jutsu.

After checking Akamaru over, he could feel the dog shivering in fear, and heard the soft whimpers coming from him. Hearing the words of concern from the dog, he looked towards the blonde with fear in his eyes.

"If you want to know Kiba, it's from training my ass off since I was five, and having some great teachers. I don't hold grudges or anything, at least not for stupid things like this, but you seem like a great fighter maybe even a great guy, even with that stupid technique. You could probably be a great Shinobi if you kept your cool. Don't take the obvious things for granted, sometimes they give you the answers you need."

Kiba just looked at him, and continued wrapping up Akamaru's small wounds, as he said small comforting words to the pup. Once done, he stood and placed Akamaru in his jacket, and was about to leave when Naruto's voice stopped him.

"Plus you could work on your strength and speed a little bit, toss in some other jutsus, and you could be one of the best Inuzuka Shinobi to date; I'd be willing to help you out if you let me."

'_Plus I get more of a chance to beat the living hell out of him and his dog for pissing on me.'_

Kiba slowly turned to look at the boy, and would have glared at the boy if he hadn't of noticed the silver veins in Naruto's eyes.

"You think I need your help? You got lucky that you knew some strong jutsus is all. It won't happen again Naruto, you can count on that. Next time Akamaru and I won't have any problems taking you apart."

"Kiba I'm not asking out of pity or anything, I'm asking because I want to help you. Look, I help at a weapon shop in the morning and after classes. It's some tough work, and I think it could really help your endurance, speed, and strength. If you're interested meet me at the Monument of Heroes tomorrow morning around three thirty, I'll check there every morning for the rest of the week."

With those final words Naruto went back towards his group of friends, and together left the Academy; none of them noticed the thoughtful look on the face of the young Inuzuka as they left.

Naruto himself was doing his best to hide the patch of missing clothe; of course had the patch been any where else he wouldn't have cared as much, but this was in the middle of his chest, where a foot long and two inch wide scar ran down it. It was the scar of Zabuza.

* * *

_**Present**_

Naruto had finally made it to the shop, and trudged inside, with his vest/jacket off leaving him in only his long sleeved, turtle-neck black shirt to cover his scars. He slowly made his way to the back of the shop, and the forge where he was sure he could dry off, and to report for work.

By now he had finally calmed down enough to start thinking clearly, but still did not change the fact that he wanted to introduce Kiba to the thousand years of pain technique the next chance he got.

Once back there he could already see Satome working on hammering out the impurities of a piece of metal, which looked to be the start of a katana.

"I'm here, I ran into a little trouble so sorry I'm late!" called out Naruto over the hammering of the man.

"Ah Naruto, you are actually early today. I wasn't expecting you until at least after three; did you skip some classes again, today?"

Naruto couldn't help but slap himself in the face, and drag his hand down.

'_Of course I'm early, we got out early today, why did I forget that; freaking Kiba throwing my mind off things, makes me wonder why I offered to help train with him.'_

"Nah, we were let out early today because of the festival today, though I don't think I'm going to it" replied Naruto as he pulled out a heavy apron, and thick gloves.

"Oh, that is today isn't it? I suppose you and your friends will do something together?" asked the elder Higarashi between hammer blows.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan always hates this time of year, and I guess you've been around long enough to know why… So we all kind of just hang around and try to make her feel comfortable until the Kumo Nins leave."

"Hm, that is a very nice of you all to do for her. Since you have plans later, I suppose we should go ahead and start on Anko-chan's tanto. Just understand that you may not be able to finish it before you lave tonight, as you know most things take a number of days to complete. So go ahead and start on the empty forge on the other side of the room. If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to ask."

With that Naruto walked over to the empty forge, and started to stoke the fires and pump the billows, working it until he felt the temperature was just right. After several minutes he had it just about right, and paused in pumping the billows while he looked around the room to check to see if anyone was watching.

Seeing no one else in the room, he quickly started to form several seals, ending on the Kitsune. He softly muttered **"Kitsune Yo Jutsu: Kitsune-bi no Jutsu** (Fox Magic: Fox Fire Technique)", and with those words a ghostly blue flame erupted from his hand, and flew into the fires of the forge.

Once the ghostly flame hit the coals and lumber inside, it quickly spread, and consumed the worldly flames in the forge already in existence.

'_Great, now I can make a special tanto for Nee-chan. Glad I remembered you telling me about Ragnarok doing something similar._'

"_**What ever you end up making should be extremely durable, and could have special traits, perhaps even able to call up parts of the flames that were used to make it."**_

With a nod, he quickly set about finding the right metal, and beginning the first steps of the process.

He worked for several hours in the forge, tempering, and hammering, then stocking, and pumping. He wasn't nearly done yet, but he had the first level of work finished, and would continue to temper and fold the metal until he finally got it to his liking.

"Naruto, time to call it a day, you got a date to get ready for after all!" shouted Satome as he walked towards the blonde.

Hearing this caused Naruto's hammer to miss the metal he was working on, and the anvil, and hit his hand that was holding the tongs. Surprised from the sudden pain, he dropped everything he was doing to cradle his hand and howl in pain. This also served to drop the still red hot piece of iron and tongs onto his exposed toes, which sent him hoping around the room; one hand in his mouth sucking on the swollen digits, the other cradling the burned foot.

After hopping around the shop and shouting countless words of pain, and promises of torture he settled down to glare at his elder; careful not to put too much pressure onto the burned digits of his foot.

"It's not a date; just a bunch of friends getting together is all… Oh yeah I had something to ask you earlier, but I forgot; I was wondering if I could get a friend to help out around here. He wants to do some training, and I figured the morning chores, and some of the afternoon ones would be great. That is if you don't mind of course."

"Well I'd have to say that the more help we have around here the more we could get done. So your friend is free to help out if he wants to. Just let him know that the same schedule you have will be his. Now get going, you still have to clean up I'm sure. Be sure to remember her present too, girlfriends tend to get more then a little angry when their boyfriends forget them."

With a final shout, and an apron in the face, Satome Higarashi could see the form of Naruto running out of the forge, and to the streets. He smiled to himself at the boys antics, and couldn't help but be proud of the way the boy was growing up, so much like his father.

'_Ah to be young again, what I would give to enjoy the _"Flames of Youth"_ once more.'_

* * *

**Hyuga Compound**

Hyuga Hiashi was not a man that feared many things, those he did; he tried not to show to others. Of the things that did stir up those emotions, he could only count them on a single hand.

The first and foremost thing on that short list was the date of December 27th, and the three weeks that followed it.

Now why would the head of the most powerful clan hate that date? That would be easy to explain, it was the date that perhaps changed the entire future of his clan the greatest, and still held and brought up a rage within him.

It should have been a day for celebration for the birth of his eldest daughter, Hinata. Instead it and the days following became a time of mourning for the Head of the Hyugas. It was the day that his daughter was nearly kidnapped, and taken away from him and to Kumogakure. It was the day he that quite possibly marked the decline of the great clan.

Not only did he nearly lose his daughter that night, but he also lost a brother, and with that brother the respect of half of the Hyuga clan, but more importantly the respect of his nephew, Neji.

He could still remember that day eight years ago when he lost so much.

"Hizashi, why did you have to sacrifice yourself, I was more then willing to pay the price for what I did. Since that day I still can not help but wonder if you could have done a better job as the clan Head… All I have to show for that day is the hate of your son, and my daughter's confidence was shattered until she was befriended by the village scapegoat.

"It's only been the last few years that she has started to believe in herself again, and I was of no help with it. Oh the irony to have to thank the container of the Kyubi for helping our family. I guess I should have believed what Hitome said when Hinata first came home talking about him. Sadly though, I let the Elders pollute my mind with their lies, and half truths. Now we are a shell of our former self Brother, I can't help but wonder and ask myself, what you would do if you were still alive today."

Hiashi stood there for the next several minutes, as if he was awaiting an answer from the deceased brother. After standing in relative silence for nearly thirty minutes, Hiashi slowly made his way out of the private burial grounds of the Hyuga clan, and towards the main house where his daughters would be, as well as his nephew.

Walking into the house, and walking down the halls, he couldn't help but notice the unbearable silence that permeated the halls of the Hyugas.

'_Is this what we have become, afraid to speak, or be individuals? Afraid of our own family, fearing they would sooner gut us, then help us? How did I ever let things get this out of hand?'_

Shaking himself from the depressing road of thoughts he was about to walk upon, he quickly made his way towards the section of the house where his daughters resided. Once there he paused outside of Hinata's door, and knocked gently, then waited for a reply. Shortly after he heard her say enter, and he move the door aside and walked in to see his daughter on her futon, and reading over scrolls.

"No training with Tsunade-sama today?"

"No Otou-san, she decided to give us the day off for the festival… I almost wish we had some training t-today though." replied Hinata without looking up from the medical scroll she was reading.

Hiashi couldn't help but frown, knowing how much this same day must have traumatized her.

"Well if you did have training today, you wouldn't be able to spend nearly as much time with your friends, now would you?" asked the Hyuga Head in a smug voice, and smiled when he saw the blush come to her cheeks, and a small smile graced her lips.

"Y-you are correct Otou-san, as a-always." whispered the young girl as she started to fumble with the scroll in her hands.

"No need to get nervous Hinata, I'm glad you have such good friends to spend your time with. I only wish I could have been a better father after your mother left us…" the last part was whispered, but was just loud enough for Hinata to hear parts of it. She quickly looked up, but only saw her father's back as he left the room.

Hinata gave a gentle smile at her father's retreating figure, and went back to her studies. After all Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji wouldn't be there for another two hours.

It didn't take long for Naruto to get home, clean up, and then go about picking his friends up. The first on his list was Shikamaru, since he lived near by, after that they both went to pick up Hinata; both boys were on edge knowing the history of this day for the shy girl.

Once the two friends made it, they were forced to wait at the gates while one of the guards went to let the Head and Heiress know of the visitors.

"Man, I hate all of these formalities, why can't everything be more relaxed, and everyone just go with the flow?" asked an annoyed Naruto as he and Shikamaru waited to be meet by Hinata, or let into the compound.

"Just relax Naruto, pacing back and forth like that makes you look like an expecting father; which is ironic that you happen to be doing that outside of a certain someone's house…"

Shikamaru had to quickly start dodging badly thrown kunai and shuriken, and was quick to hide behind a nearby tree. It seemed when ever that subject was brought up; all training went out the window for Naruto; much to the relief of Shikamaru.

"Get out here and fight you chicken!" shouted the blonde as he paused in his barrage.

"No thanks, I value my life too much, though you might want to turn around!"

Spinning on his heel Naruto spun around and into the chest of Hyuga Hiashi, who seemed to be trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Uzumaki-san, Nara-san, would you please come in, Hinata isn't ready yet, and I would like to speak with the both of you." and with out waiting for any word of agreement or commitment he started back into the house.

Looking to Shikamaru, both boys just shrugged and followed him through the courtyard, and the winding halls until they came to what looked like Hiashi's personal study.

Once inside Hiashi turned to his two guests, and bid them to have a seat.

"Now, I understand you that you two, along with Akimichi Choji, and Hinata will be out till after the normal festival activities are done with. I am also aware of the reason why you have done this the last few years, and for that I am grateful; even if I wasn't too pleased when I first learned. This day is one that we should celebrate, but yet we also mourn, as I'm sure one of you knows the feelings of all too well."

Hiashi looked at Naruto for emphasis on the statement.

"I only ask that you stay alert on this night, and return her home safely for me. I will not be sending any of the Branch family with you, as I trust you three will protect her with your lives. Make no mistake, there will be Hyuga members watching you while you are in the city, but I am going to trust you three once you head into the woods or the training areas."

Shikamaru was about to object when Hiashi interrupted him.

"You have had training under two of the three Sannin, and all have potential to be great. You four seem to have been friends since the first day you meet each other. It is because of this that I know that should one of you be in danger, the others will come to their rescue with everything they have.

"But, should my daughter be hurt in any way, no amount of training will protect you from my wrath. I trust you, but Hinata is also my eldest daughter, and whom I have to make up for past mistakes with. Do not let me down." Hiashi glared at the two, with his Byakugan blazing into existence. Seeing the anger, the promise of immense pain, and righteous fury of a protective father, both boys quickly nodded in understanding.

"Now, I believe Hinata is waiting for you at the gate, so it would be best if you three went ahead and picked up the last member of your group."

Not waiting for an answer, again to the disappointment of the two young boys, Hiashi walked out of the room, and left a Branch member to lead them to the front of the compound.

"Well that was interesting; I'm surprised he trusts us enough to keep the guards off our back outside the village. I would think it'd be the other way around. Oh well, let's not keep Hinata-chan waiting any longer." remarked Naruto, as he stood up and went towards the door.

With that the two followed the Branch Member to the front where Hinata was waiting with several bento boxes. After relieving her of the boxes the trio made their way to Choji's house.

Along the way they could see several members of the Festival committee arranging decorations for the event to be held later that night. They could see booths being set up, and stands and stages being constructed, all for an event that nearly, and could still destroy one of Konoha's most prestigious clans.

At times Naruto hated having a big brother who was able to get any secrets from him, but other times he was able to hear the most interesting things. How the village never heard of the events of that night surprised Naruto when he had first heard of it from Ibiki. This was how Naruto heard about the events, and found what seemed like a kindred spirit in Hinata. He made it is duty to help her make the best of this day, much like his family does for him on his birthday.

Slowly she started opening up more, even though he mostly wrote everything to her. Then as the years went by, Shikamaru and Choji became their close friends, and helped. Each year they would pick a spot in the village, or a secret place outside. While risky, they were very secure in their choices; of course with Naruto knowing he always had ANBU shadowing him for his protection helped. So while she had never retrieved gifts from her family, she was more then happy to accept them from her dear friends, who turned the dark day into one she started to look forward to.

Naruto sighed as he thought back to the old days, and how much things had changed, and yet many things were still the same.

It didn't take them long to make it to the Akimichi residence, and from there they wasted little time in gathering up Choji, and his portion of the meal for the day. Once that was done the group made their way towards the Memorial Stone, and Naruto's house; figuring if anything that would have to be one of the safest locations outside of the village walls.

As the quartet came to the clearing surrounding the house, they stumbled across Ibiki and Shizune getting ready to leave for the festival.

"Hello Choji, Shikamaru, Naruto-kun, and Hinata-chan what brings you all here today? I thought Tsunade-sama canceled training for today." asked a confused Shizune.

"She did Shizune-san, but Naruto and his friends always spend today together. It's one of their little group rituals that they started when they all became friends." answered Ibiki for the four. "So, you going to spend the day here I take it. Most of us are going out to the festival tonight, and might not be back till late. Feel free to make yourselves at home, and take anything you'd like from the kitchen, Naruto can cook it for you. Other then that, stay safe, and enjoy."

With those words the duo started to walk away towards the village, talking with each other soft enough that none of them could pick up what was being said. They were almost out of the clearing when Ibiki turned around and shouted out.

"Don't go doing anything I wouldn't do Otouto!" this caused Shizune to giggle as she pulled Ibiki away; Naruto started to imitate a tomato along with Hinata, who seemed to pick up on the implied statement. Choji and Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh at their friends.

"Stupid Aniki and Nee-chan always trying to embarrass me…" muttered Naruto as he led them towards the house.

"Okay so we have the house to ourselves, and a day we are free to eat what ever we want… Hinata-chan has the sweets, and Choji has some fruits and vegetables. I'll start on some stuff for dinner, so come on in; once I'm done we can go up to the garden. I just need to head up to my room real quick, go ahead and store the sweets and fruits." with that, he jumped up to his bedroom window, and went inside; the others went through the dojo, and to the kitchen to start putting away the snacks.

Once Naruto made it into his room he checked the doors to make sure they were closed and locked before pulling his shirt off, and pulled a kunai out to cut his left hand, at the same time he pictured numerous pint size toads in his mind as he molded chakra into the hand. Once he had a mental picture of what he wanted, he placed his hand on the tattoo located on his right arm.

Thick smoke quickly covered his bedroom floor, and his bed obscuring them from view. Once the smoke cleared anyone able to see into the room could see a small army of pint sized toads, at the front of the army was an orange and blue toad in a blue vest, and a serious expression plastered onto his face; as well as a yellow and orange toad, also in a blue vest, but a fairly cheerful expression on his face.

"Yo bro, was wondering when you would need our help on another prank, so the Gama Prank Squad is reporting for duty!" stated the orange toad as he raised a webbed foot in a mock salute.

"Eh, well sorry to disappoint you guys, but no pranks planned for today. I actually have a serious job for all of you today." answered Naruto, as he scratched the back of his head.

"Ok, well fire away, we would do anything for family, course you have to give us some treats too." came the response from Gamakichi, and nods of agreement from his fellow toads.

"I know, but this is really important guys, I need you to go into the woods around the house and keep an eye out from any unfriendly Shinobi. Mostly I want you to keep an eye out for any Kumo-nin, but any thing that doesn't look friendly is to be considered a threat. If you see anything like that come report to me right away, no matter what I'm doing."

"Ok Bro, so it's that day huh? We'll keep an eye out for you and let you know if something happens, you go have fun with your girlfriend!" shouted the smartest son of Gamabunta, and then quickly jumped out of the now open balcony doors; he was quickly followed by the dozens of other toads.

"Kami, why does everyone think she's my girlfriend? What ever, I have to get down stairs and start making dinner." shouted the blonde as he stormed out of his room, shirt back on, and a scowl on his face.

"Sorry guys, got caught up with something, but let's get cooking!" and so the group set about preparing a meal for the night, as well as cutting up the fruits brought by Choji. With in two hours they had their meal and drinks ready, and each took turns taking plates, trays, and jugs to the large garden located on the top of the house.

"Well, everything is ready, the only thing left to do is put the food to good use, **Itadakimasu!"** shouted Naruto and Choji together.

Shikamaru only shook his head as he started on his meal, and Hinata couldn't help but smile at her friends.

As they ate their dinner, they talked about random things, from the Academy, to their training under Tsunade, Jiraiya, Tenten, and the work at the Weapon Shop. Each of them enjoying the company of the others; remembering why they became friends and what they meant to each other.

Little did the Academy students know that within the trees surrounding the house was a set of eyes, watching them and waiting for the chance to strike.

The person was clad in only a black Jonin vest, and gray, white, and light blues, all in a camouflage pattern designed for another part of the world. He wore black sandals, and emotionless onyx eyes, but those were not the things that made him remarkable, indeed it was the object on his back that was the first thing that people noticed.

On this man's back was a sword that was nearly six feet long, and shaped very much like a lightning bolt. The shape of the sword only helped to confirm where the man was from, and if that wasn't enough, then the cloud like symbols on his Hitaiate confirmed what he was, a Kumo-nin.

Currently this man was in a tree watching the children as they talked and feasted. He had seen the frogs in the surrounding forest and with his skill as an assassin managed to avoid them without raising alarm. Now he was just waiting for his chance to achieve his mission given to him nearly six years ago; kidnap and bring Hyuga Hinata to Kumogakure, where the secrets of the **Byakugan **would be revealed, or she would be forced to bear children for the village; which ever proved easier to do.

The only thing that has caused this mission to continue for so many years was none other then a certain blonde haired, whisker marked boy. It was the same boy who was responsible for foiling his first attempt, and now seemed to be stopping him from any others. Oh how he hated the blonde boy, who he found out was named Uzumaki Naruto.

Then there was the fat boy, Akimichi Choji, who inadvertently also caused all of his plans to fall apart. This boy was not as big a threat, or so he thought, as the blonde; but was still a problem and growing into a larger one with each passing day.

Finally was the dark haired boy, Nara Shikamaru, who seemed to be an extremely observant and intelligent boy. While he was lazy, and showed very little talent in combat, the Kumo-nin did not over look him. The Nara's were one of known and feared clans in Konoha for a reason, even if it was not for the same reasons as the Hyuga and Uchiha.

To add to his problems, the children had other friends now, and not to mention that they were training under Jiraiya and Tsunade now. All of which seemed to stem from that infernal blonde haired boy. Oh how he was starting to hate the boy, enough so to want to kill him when he finally grabbed the Hyuga girl.

If only the man knew that he was slowly letting his bloodlust seep into the air; unfortunately he was to busy dreaming of ways to mutilate the blonde, and finally completing his mission.

"_**Naruto-kun, do you feel that, the Bloodlust from the woods?"**_

'_Yeah, I didn't think anything about it at first, but it seems to slowly be rising. Probably not enough for Shikamaru and them to notice yet, but with you in me I can pick it up. Who ever it is must be good to sneak past Gamakichi and the others. The only question is who they are after, Hinata or me.'_

Naruto slowly turned his head to where he could feel the Bloodlust coming from. He stared into the shadows of the trees, looking for what ever was hiding out there waiting for them to drop their guard.

The Kumo-nin froze when he saw those damn piercing blue eyes turn towards him, those eyes that seemed to cut right through to his soul, and could tell what he was feeling. But this time there was something different about those eyes. Now instead of his normal deep blue eyes, they were slowly becoming slits, and tinted in silver, making them almost glow in the dim light.

'_Those eyes, it's as if they are burning through to my soul… No, get a hold of yourself Hakai, this child shouldn't be able to see you; it's probably just a fluke. Soon I will be able to eviscerate that damn boy and be done with him. Then I can return home a hero, and with that brat's head stuck on a pike for all the trouble he caused me. Until then, I think I need to find out more about this boy.'_

Slowly he melted away into the shadows, and retreated away from the area, deciding to wait for another chance to retrieve his prize without causing too much commotion. Who knows, maybe next time he could kill the thing that seemed to be the bane to his existence.

'_Looks like who ever it was is gone now. I still can't figure out who it is, but every time it's just us four I feel the same thing. I wish I knew who it was directed at, or what the person wanted.'_

Naruto was brought out of his musing as he felt Choji poking his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey Naruto, you alright, you kind of spaced out for a second there." asked Choji.

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine, just thinking about something. I think its time for the cake now, I'll go get it; then you can open your presents Hinata-chan." with those words he quickly vanished back into the stairs, and down into the kitchen.

Once there he quickly went to the fridge and pulled out his target, then quickly retreated back up the way he came. As he made it to the second floor he paused as he went to get a package from his room. Inside of the package was perhaps the only thing he used Jiraiya's training method on, and his father's legacy. This was one of the first things he started working on once he read further into the first scroll from Gamabunta.

There were other things listed, but this was the first thing of his father's that he wanted to use. To Naruto, it was the ultimate technique to be there for his friends when they were in trouble, and so he would put everything he had into learning it. It was because of this that he was going to let Hinata know about it first, though he wouldn't tell her what it was exactly.

Once he had the package, he quickly retreated back to the garden and his friends with a smile on his face.

Several hours later, and several slices of cake and laughs later, the four friends were parting ways.

After they had cake, and gave Hinata their presents, excluding Naruto, they talked and played around until the moon was almost overhead in the sky. When they noticed this, they started on their way back to the village.

The first to part ways with the others was Shikamaru, who lived not far from where they would enter the village at. With a wave of goodbye, and a final happy birthday to Hinata, he vanished into the night.

Next was the always smiling, and good natured Choji. He was still smiling at his two friends as they walked him to his house. Once there he turned to the other two members of the group and bid goodnight, and happy birthday to Hinata before rushing inside.

Now it was only Naruto and Hinata left. The two silently walked the streets of Konoha, watching as villagers passed them, some too drunk to see the walls they crashed into. Some of the people they passed offered smiles to the young duo as they passed, which only caused the two to blush at the implications.

They were nearly to the gates of the Hyuga compound when Naruto stopped, which caused Hinata to stop and turn to the blonde.

"Naruto-kun is something wrong?" asked the confused dark haired girl.

"Nah, I wanted to give you your present Hinata, I couldn't give it to you in front of Choji and Shikamaru… So uh, here you go." with that he handed Hinata a small package wrapped in plain brown paper.

Smiling, she took the package from his hands, and slowly started to open it. She was almost done when Naruto's voice caused her to stop her work.

"Before you finish Hinata, I need you to promise me something. Promise that you won't tell anyone about this, and always keep it with you, no matter what."

"O-okay Naruto-kun, I won't t-tell anyone about this." promised the young girl, cursing herself for stuttering again.

'_Anko-nee-chan and Tsunade-sama wouldn't be happy to hear me stuttering again…'_

Slowly she finished opening the package to reveal a very strange object, a three pronged kunai, with strange writing on the handle of the weapon. Confused, she looked to Naruto who was smiling with a hand behind his head scratching the back of it.

"It's a special kunai for a cool new jutsu I'm working on. Thanks to Ero-Sennin I think I almost have it down, but I'm not sure yet, and I don't plan on letting anyone else know until I do." he stopped and smiled at the girl, causing her to blush. "You are the first person I've told about it, so please keep it a secret."

She smiled, and her blush deepened as she realized how much he trusted her with this information.

"I p-promise Naruto-kun, I won't tell anyone until you are ready."

"GREAT, now just keep that with you, and when ever you're in trouble just channel some chakra into it, and throw it. No matter where I am I'll be there in a flash, at least I should be able to once I get it down… I have some **Kage Bunshins** out there working on it right now, and it's one of the few techniques I'm cheating on."

"T-thank you Naruto-kun, I'll always keep it with me no matter what." whispered the girl.

"Great, now we better get you home before your dad sends the entire clan after me!" with that they laughed, and continued down the street towards the Hyuga compound.

* * *

It was now almost January, and had been six months since Naruto and friends started their training under Jiraiya and Tsunade; and now the results or some of the results could be seen from the intensive training the Academy students had been put through. Since Hinata's birthday, several things had changed, and yet many things also stayed the same.

Naruto was true to his word, and meet Kiba the next day after their fight at the Memorial Stone. When they meet up Naruto brought Kiba with him to the Weapon Shop, and introduced him to Satome Higarashi.

He quickly informed Kiba of what the morning work consisted of, and when he expected it to be done. When Kiba heard all of what was expected of them, he just looked at Naruto, hardly believing that the boy had been performing those tasks for the last three months.

The only thing that reinforced his resolve was the fact that Naruto did seem able to do it, and was stronger because of it. So if Naruto could do it, then surely he could do it with little to no problems. Besides, if he couldn't beat Naruto, he could at least get stronger that that damned Uchiha.

Kiba was no fool, after the fight with Naruto he no longer saw the idiot or the mute. No, he saw a mysterious boy who was able to perform jutsus without hand seals, and was able to make Akamaru wet himself. He was sure that the blonde had to be stronger then what he showed everyone else at the Academy.

Oh how much he hated decided to do this "training", which was more like slave labor to him. He soon realized just WHY Naruto had been coming to class so tired the last few months; and this was with only doing a quarter of the work Naruto did. He soon started to hate Naruto with a burning passion when Naruto bought him the chakra weights to wear. The only thing that went through his mind after the first week of doing that grueling manual labor was easy to guess.

'_How the hell can he do this and still be moving around so well later that day!'_

It was because of this work that he soon discovered muscles he never knew he had. He soon had a new view, and slowly started to respect Naruto for his training regime, even though he hardly knew half of it. He was slowly starting to see why he lost to Naruto, and vowed to someday defeat the blonde, and win his spot as the top dog back.

One thing always caused Kiba to pause when he looked at the form of the blonde working in the forge, and that was why he always seemed to be in a long sleeved shirt, with a high collar. Naruto had to be burning up in the shop, and during the morning work, yet he never seemed to be in any other form of clothing.

He added it to another long list of strange things about the blonde that would have to be found out at a later date.

During the fourth month of training they were once again accepting a new member of their class in, Aburame Shino.

Naruto and friends were once again talking with each other during lunch under the trees of the Academy, when Naruto looked towards the silent boy.

"Hey guys, why haven't we ever invited Shino to hang out with us, he seems like a cool guy." asked Naruto to the other members of the group.

"You kidding, he has those nasty bugs under his skin and everything, it's kind of creepy." answered Sakura.

"So what, you have bright pink hair, and I have bright yellow hair, not exactly the greatest things for Shinobi wannabes. Not to mention we are pretty much a group of the heirs to some of the most renowned clans of Konoha, so Shino would fit in. Plus having attack bugs sounds kind of cool." responded Naruto.

"Not to mention I'm sure we can all relate to Shino. How many times in our lives have we been outcast because of who we are, without the people getting a chance to know us?" added Shikamaru.

"You have a point; I didn't have any friends because of how big I was until Naruto and you. Sakura, you were the same until Ino came along and became your friend. Hinata was the same too until Naruto came along, so why not give the guy a chance?" asked Choji, while nodding in agreement with Shikamaru, Naruto and himself.

"I guess you guys have a point, I mean we all know what it's like to be alone like that in some way, shape, or form." added Ino.

"Well, it's settled then, let's go drag him over." answered Naruto cheerfully. Giving little room for disagreements and second thoughts; he jumped to his feet and walked over to the stoic boy, and sat beside him under the shade of a tree.

Shino only gave him a raised eyebrow as Naruto sat down; each of them remained silent, and unmoving. It would have continued until class was to start again, but the silence was broken; this time it wasn't by Naruto.

"I thank you for the kind offer, but it is not needed. I am hardly ever alone with my Kikaichu bugs within me."

"Yeah, but you can't get the laughs from them that we can give. Besides, you need to talk to your own species sometimes, who knows you might like talking with humans. I mean not all of us are conceited, self-centered, egotistical, drama queen, 'I must be the best' Uchiha. Some of us are actually pretty nice; as I'm sure your bugs could tell you." just then if Naruto looked hard enough and close enough he could have sworn he saw the bug user show a faint smile; then again he could have just been imagining things too.

With a small nod to Naruto in understanding, the bug wielder stood up from his spot beside Naruto. Naruto smiled at the boy and quickly followed suit. Once both parties were up, they made their way to where the others were gathered.

"Oh yeah, between you and me Shino, I could use some help in my garden. I have this nasty bug problem, and I thought you might be able to help. Using pesticides just doesn't seem right to me when some of the bugs are actually useful for things in the garden."

Shino raised an eyebrow in confusion at the statement.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I happen to like growing plants, mostly flowers, and some fruits and vegetables. If you tell any one besides Hinata-chan, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, and Tenten I will make you regret it Shino." Shino was shocked to see the evil gleam in Naruto's eyes, one that suddenly reminded him of Anko. He silently nodded his understanding to Naruto as the made their way to the group of friends.

As the group walked up Shino was surprised to see the number of welcoming smiles that greeted him.

"Hey Shino, it's nice to see you."

"Have a seat; we have a lot of catching up to do."

"H-hello Shino, I'm glad you could join us."

"Hey"

"Um, hi Shino, it's nice of you to join us."

Greeted Ino, Choji, Hinata, Shikamaru and Sakura respectively as the two walked up. Shino gave a small nod of acknowledgement to each of the people who greeted him, and with Naruto's help, he was led to an empty spot under the shade of the tree. Once he was settled in, friendly conversation started back up among the group, with questions directed at Shino popping up every now and then.

While he would briefly answer verbally, he would also give small nods. It wasn't long before they pulled out more complex sentences from the silent boy, and eventually managed to learn a little more about him. It wasn't too long before they had to head back into the Academy, but before doing so they did make him promise to meet them after school.

That was how Shino joined the group, and slowly worked his way into the training with Jiraiya. When he wasn't with Jiraiya, they often found him in the gardens around the Uzumaki house. During his excursions into the gardens he was surprised to see some of the bugs that lived in them, some of which he told Naruto were rather rare.

He still continued to be a silent individual, but he slowly started to offer his opinion on things with out having to be pressed for it. Shikamaru often said this was because of Anko and Tsunade shouting at the boy, and scaring him senseless, no one ever found out the truth; they were content to believe that Shikamaru was probably right on the dot with that assumption.

By this time Naruto had nearly finished the weapon for Anko, and was surprised at how the weapon ended up looking; he wasn't the only one surprised by the look of the blade either.

By the time Naruto was done with the forging of the blade, cleaning, and tempering, as well as folding it a number of times. But the unique thing about this blade was the ghostly blue flames that danced along the flat edge when the light hit the blade.

When he first noticed this, he raised a brow, and picked the metal up in his hand after it had cooled. He channeled some of his chakra into the blade, and watched as the ghostly flames came to life and danced along the cutting edge of the small weapon.

Smiling, and thinking of how well it would work with the Dragon's Fang, and how surprised Anko would be the first time she went to wield the weapon in battle.

Deciding to keep it a secret until the blade was complete, since he did still need to create the hilt, sheath, and perform some engravings, as well as put some new seals onto the weapon; something to help control the new found abilities of the blade. He groaned as he thought about all of the extra work he would have to do now.

At the same time he couldn't help but smile as he thought about how Anko would react to the new weapon.

The next month, February, had the Academy students going over the history of the Five Great Nations; The Lands of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Thunder. Each of them contained what many thought were the greatest of all Shinobi village; of all the nations in that part of their world, and thus having the 'rights' to call their leaders Kages. Each one with a Kage that corresponded to their element, Hokage, Mizukage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage; each of them feared for being the leaders of the five greatest Shinobi villages.

Naruto wasn't paying too much attention to this though, since he had been over it years before. Right now he was more interested in the scroll he was currently reading, one he was given by Gamabunta through Gamakichi.

The only reason he was risking reading it in the class was because of he little free time he had. He was now working on larger and more detailed projects at the Weapon Shop, so he had little free time there now. He could try reading it at night when he got home, but with the after work exercises, and his studying, he had very little time then; unless he wanted to go to sleep late, and wake up cranky in the morning.

Sighing, he once again glanced around the room to see what was going on around him. Iruka was still discussing the Great Shinobi Nations, and looked to be moving on to the lesser countries. Sakura was paying close attention to every thing he said, just like the good school girl she was; though she would still steal glances of Sasuke when she thought no one was looking.

Ino was paying attention as well, though she seemed to actually be interested in what was being said. Shino, well Naruto couldn't tell what Shino was doing; even after spending time with him. Kiba had his head down on his desk, with Akamaru laying on top of his head, and slowly drifting off to dream land.

Sasuke was listening; though he would look around the room at times, most of the time was spent sending glares at Naruto for several pranks he recently played. Sasuke didn't have any proof it was Naruto; after all how could the blonde sneak into the Uchiha compound unnoticed by him? Not only that but how could he change the soap and shampoo, and seemingly shrink all of his clothes two sizes smaller then usual. But the fact was he and the victims of his other crimes knew that only one person seemed to have been able to concoct such annoying colors; all they lacked was sufficient proof that he was responsible.

Shikamaru was napping, just like Naruto wished he could. But unlike Shikamaru, Naruto had to worry about Anko jumping on him if he misbehaved too much. So Naruto had to at least pretend to pay attention to Iruka's lectures.

Naruto smiled as he looked at Hinata from the corner of his eyes. She seemed to be doing rather nicely with her training under Tsunade, and while she didn't want to learn how to fight like Tsunade, she was proving to be a power house with the medical jutsus. Her fighting styles was also developing rather nicely, with the addition of the **Shosen no Jutsu** (Mystical Palm Technique), she was down right deadly. Though she would never go all out in a fight with any of them, they knew not to take her lightly.

He quickly turned away and started to blush as Hinata shifted her eyes towards him, and quickly did the same. He didn't know when, how, or why, but he truly did like her more then a friend; maybe even loved her.

He just couldn't think about how to say that to her, when ever he tried to he would always freeze up, or someone would come along to interrupt him. Not to mention the secrets he kept hidden from her, even though she was his first and closest friend.

Sighing, he turned to his last friend in the class, Choji.

Choji was listening to Iruka, but seemed to be looking at something else… Wondering what his friend could be interested in, he followed Choji's eyes and was shocked to say the least.

'_No way, is he looking at who I think he is. I wouldn't think he would think of her that way, but it seems he might… Haha, now I can get payback for all the times he helped to tease me about Hinata-chan!'_

Hikari could only shake her head at the mental antics of her little brother, though she was silently happy that Choji found someone to like as well. Now if she felt the same way would be another story.

Out of all of Naruto's male friends, Choji seemed to be one of the nicest. He always seemed willing to help his friends when ever he could, and oddly enough seemed to be garnering a great deal of attention from some of the girls in the village.

His nice personality and his caring nature seemed to finally be getting noticed by many around him. Some of his closer friends seemed to think of him as a big stuffed teddy bear, and would often call him such. While the boy was mild mannered, he was easily angered when he saw or heard of someone mistreating his friends. He wouldn't stop with just his friends, he was now taking a page from Naruto's book; he befriended the less fortunate, and those who were picked on by others.

With his body growing in size and mass and not fat but muscle, he was no longer picked on by those who were smart enough to know not to; though she felt that the giant hammer on his back most of the time had something to do with it too.

Naruto grinned as he saw Choji jerk his head away as the girl turned her head to look behind her, the blonde bang obscuring the view of her face briefly. Naruto couldn't miss the pink tinge that was slowly coming across to formerly 'pleasantly plump' boy's face. Filing this away into the blackmail portion of his mind, he turned his attention back to the scroll.

He slowly pulled it open to see sloppy writing, and small black webbed foot prints that moved along the bottom of the words. Looking closely he could also see that some of the words seemed to be made up of what looked to be webbed feet dipped in ink. Smiling at the writing, he started to read the message from the Toad King.

"_**Well Naruto-chan, it seems you are growing faster then your father gave you credit for, and me included. Since you seem to be doing so well I think it's time to learned more about your family. To be more specific I mean your mother."**_

Naruto's breath caught in his throat, realizing he was going to learn more about his family again, and if it was anything like the last scroll from the King, he knew it would shake him up.

"_**Well, you might think it's going to shatter your world or something, and you might be right. But hear me out before doing anything drastic, as I'm sure you are interested to know about her. **_

"_**As you know, her name was Kusanagi Motoko, and was your father told you, she was a very lovely woman. But boy could looks be deceiving, underneath her beauty was a real monster, her temper."**_

'_Haha, sounds almost like you Nee-chan.'_

"_**You better watch it Naru-chan, or I will triple all of your weights in the next Taijutsu practice."**_

'_One day I'll find a way around those threats, and when I do you are going to regret it Nee-chan… Wait a second, I just thought of the perfect payback… I don't have time for it now, but the next time you give me that threat I'll make the time Nee-chan'_ with that Naruto mentally blew a raspberry at her before continuing reading the scroll.

"_**Now, I'm also sure you heard she was a great fighter, which she was; and the only reason she was able to get your father to a stalemate was because he was whipped by her before he even got to know her. Kami, I don't know how many times I had to hear him talk about her beauty and skill; it was almost enough to make me sick. One night I got tired of it and tossed his sorry butt over to where I last saw her; little did I know it would bring us to where we are today."**_

After that was what seemed like a frog or toad body print in ink, and outlined by a darker liquid. Naruto's nose started to twitch as he could smell sake coming from that part of the scroll.

'_Don't tell me Gamabunta is a drunken king most of the time…'_

"_**He did seem a little tipsy when we fought the last time, so I wouldn't put it past that blow hard."**_ responded Hikari.

Mumbling about wasted toads, and trying not to imagine a toad swimming in a jug of sake, he continued to read the scroll.

"_**Enough about that though, I'm sure you have your own love problems to work out; just leave me out of them. Now I'm not sure where she came from, since I didn't meet her till she was an up and coming Jonin and on her way to ANBU. All I really know about her is that she was a weapon's master, and crafted her own weapons. I believe she was also one of the people who helped your father create his special kunai. Other then that all I know is that your father always started to stutter and blush when ever she was mentioned.**_

"_**Since she was a weapons master, mistress I suppose, it would stand to follow that her Genin were also skilled with weapons. The team consisted of a purple haired woman who I believe had joined the ranks of the ANBU shortly before Hikari attacked. The only other member of her team that I know of was a sickly looking boy who always seemed ready to fall over dead. I don't know much about the third member of the team, but if I had to guess, he was more then likely a weapons expert; which was what the team was based on."**_

'_I wonder could the third person have been Tenten's dad. I think I've seen the other two before; one of them wore a cat ANBU mask I think. The other one I've seen around Jiji's office, though I mostly hear him coughing up a lung.'_ with that thought, and a mental note to look into things further, he continued on.

"_**Aside from being a great swordswomen, I don't know much else about her. I do believe though that her sword was far from ordinary, I'm not sure what it was about her sword, but there was something very strange about it. I don't remember seeing it with her when she and Rin left the village, so it must be hidden inside of the village some where. I believe this could be the only reason she managed to hold your father back in a fight.**_

"_**As her name suggests, she also had the knowledge of some rather unique plant based jutsus. She was able to create jutsus where she could turn a flower into a whip, a thorn into a spear or sword, and just about any number of other weapons. Since it would be hard to find such items in some locations, she often carried them inside of scrolls, and would summon them when needed. Those techniques seemed to be lost today; I say this because if they were still around, you would have found them in the scroll library."**_

'_Kuso, Ino would have loved them… I've been looking for something like that for her; I guess if I can't find them, I can try to make them. I mean it can't be that hard to make up a jutsu like that?' thought the blonde._ Hikari could only shake her head at the optimism of the boy.

"_**If she did not take them to the grave with her, then they could be hidden in a number of places. She was the one who spear-headed the garden at your house. If they are not hidden there, then it leaves only one other place, and that was where he jutsus were the most dangerous, the **Shi no Mori_ (Forest of Death)**_. The plants there are deadly on their own, but with her help the place was hell on earth for the poor Chunin hopefuls. So if she did hide them there, they may also be guarded by the very same jutsus they are protecting. So if you decide to go looking for them, I suggest against it. Those jutsus and that forest are extremely dangerous together."_**

'_If a giant hundred foot toad says a place in dangerous then it has to been… But, that also makes me look forward to checking it out.'_

"_**You really just want to make others worry don't you? What would Anko, Tsunade, Shizune, Tenten and Hinata-chan think if you were severely injured in there; or worst killed? I suggest you wait until you are a little older, and more skilled."**_

'_I want to know more about my mom and her family, if the only way to learn that is by finding her scrolls, then I'd do anything to learn about them. I've lived all my life without knowing who my real family is, and now that I know I'm going to learn everything I can about them.'_

"_**I can understand that Otouto, but remember, you have a new family that also cares for you. You wouldn't want to hurt them by digging too deep into the past. Think about that when you decide on what you are going to do"**_

Naruto was about to respond to her when he was suddenly elbowed in the side. He jerked his head to the offender, only to see Shikamaru with a puzzled look on his face.

"You alright Naruto, I've been calling your name for the last five minutes?" asked the confused and worried boy.

Naruto let the anger and surprise slip off his face.

"Sorry, I just got caught up thinking about something. So what's going on?"

Shikamaru took a few minutes to watch Naruto, who was quickly rolling up a strange scroll, and hiding it in a pouch. He shook his head, and sighed; it wasn't the first time he found Naruto hiding things from him. But he knew when the blonde was ready to talk that he would.

"It's time for lunch, so you coming, or did you decide to skip lunch again?" asked the Nara as he huffed and put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh yeah, I'll be right there, meeting on the roof right?" he got a nod as his answer, and watched the black haired boy turned and head out the door.

Looking around, he saw all of the other students were already out for lunch, and he was alone once again in the room with his thoughts.

"I guess you are right Nee-chan, I could see how worried Shikamaru was… If he was worried then I know the other two have to be too." with that, Naruto got up from his seat and left to meet up with his friends.

**

* * *

**

March had finally rolled around, and brought with it another sunny day, and the day many looked forward to. This day was a very special one, one that only came once a year to the village of Konoha, and raise the hopes and dreams of many Academy students, graduation day.

Today was the day that many would either pass or fail the Academy. Those that passed would be on the road to becoming full fledged Shinobi of Konohagakure, and bringing respect to their homes, family, and village.

Those who failed would be allowed to continue the Academy, and would be offered another chance to test after going through the classes for one more year. Many people were already talking about the potential coming from this class, most of the talk was about one specific person though, Hyuga Neji.

Hyuga Neji was already being called Rookie of the Year, and the Prodigy of the Hyuga clan. Some even thought that it was funny that a Branch member would be ranked in the top of his class, while the heiress was hardly in the middle of her class. Of course no one would dare whisper or speak of this when around any members of the Main house; nor would they mention it in the presence of a certain blonde haired demon fox boy, his plump yet muscular friend, and finally the smart yet lazy genius.

There were other people no one dared to cross with such words, included in the group was Mitarashi Anko, Morino Ibiki, Shizune; and finally there was the person that the Heiress was rumored to be apprenticed under, Tsunade. Many had heard the horror stories of those brave enough, maybe foolish would be a better term, to speak ill of the Heiress, and the 'Fox Demon'; and no one wanted to find out if those were in fact actual events, or only stories spoken in hushed whispers.

Said blonde and Heiress were currently waiting at the Higarashi Weapon Shop, along with Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino. The reason for the waiting, well that is obvious since they had the day off from the Academy while the Graduation Exams were being held; they were waiting for their friend to return to see if she passed or not. Of course they felt she would be able to ace the test with out any problems.

Ino was looking around the shop, having grown an interest in weapons with her exposure to Tenten. Currently she was looking at some new kunai and shuriken that were just put out by Naruto; which he had just finished putting the finishing touches on the previous day.

The shuriken and kunai seemed to be almost as fine as anything Tenten or her father would make. While looking at the newest additions, she saw a strange blue tint on the blade edges. When she would move to get a closer look, there would be nothing there; so she passed it off as her eyes playing tricks on her.

Shikamaru was sitting in one of the few empty spaces with Hinata, playing a game of Shogi. He was winning of course, put it wasn't without a lack of effort from Hinata. He was starting to get a little upset, as Hinata was doing unpredictable and off the wall moves, similar to a blonde who had recently gotten a win on him with such strategies.

'_How can I possibly battle against something so crazy that no one would ever do _**but**_ him? Now she is doing it, but not as well as he does thankfully.'_ thought Shikamaru as he moved a piece to block off Hinata. Hinata in turn scrunched up her face, in what Shikamaru would say was cute, way as she pondered what to do next.

Choji was polishing the two giant heads to his hammer, and oiling the leather wrapped handle. For a person who had only shuriken and kunai, he had taken an extreme liking to his hammer. After every workout with it, he would do as Tenten instructed, and cared for the wraps and the heads of the hammer. He also checked the shaft to make sure it wasn't weakening from the power being put into it. Over the time he had been training with it, it seemed to become a part of him, with him hardly ever going any where without it. To Choji it was more then just a weapon, to others it seemed like he finally found confidence in who he was, and now had a new 'security blanket'; one which he no longer needed his friends to stand up for him.

Naruto, well he was in the back of the shop, at his third home, the forge.

Currently the blonde was sitting by what has become his forge, and reading over a scroll. The scroll in question mostly covered the remaking of weapons. This was a scroll from what he presumed to be his mother's section of the library, and detailed high level weapon seals, and the procedures to instill them into weapons.

It also covered how to go about recasting weapons that had been modified by seals, or imbued with special powers. The work that would be needed to accomplish these tasks was nothing short of a week worth of training under Jiraiya and Tsunade. Should Naruto attempt to finish the work on the Chakra Fang of Hatake Sakumo, and by that way Hatake Kakashi; he would be required to work on melting the metal, and keeping it at an extremely high temperature. At the same time, he would have to imbue the melting metal with a near constant amount of chakra, if the notes provided by his mother were correct.

She also had another theory on the history of the Chakra Fang. She, or so the scroll stated, believed that the weapon itself was forged from the fang of Cerberus, the five tailed dog. She points out that the only way for chakra to change colors as drastically as that of the Chakra Fang would be for some level of demonic influence, and using the fang of Cerberus would accomplish such a feat.

Her argument is further supported by the name that was adopted by those who wielded the Fang; the name _Konoha Shiroi Kiba_ (Konoha's White Fang) was feared across the five great Shinobi Nations. Its power was on par with the legendary Kusanagi, and was only broken because of age, and improper care for the blade. The scroll continued to say that it was perhaps one of the confirmed legendary weapons forged from the parts of the Nine Demon Lords.

There was rumored to currently only be four such weapons, The _White Chakra Fang _of the Hatake family, the _Kusanagi_ wielded by the Nukenin Orochimaru, the deadly _Samehada_ (Shark skin) wielded by one of the _Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu_ (Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist), and finally the Nidaime's Raijin Sword.

The scroll made no mention of where the fifth sword was, but it did state the name of the weapon is _Ame Murakumo-No-Tsurugi _(Sword of Billowing Clouds), and was said to be made from the feathers of Kira six tailed Eagle. It was rumored to have been renamed the _Kusanagi_, but that sword was later learned to be an entirely different weapon. The scroll listed no special abilities for the weapon, or last known owner.

Naruto was shaken out of his research by the squeal of Ino, and the sound of the bell at the front door ringing. Smiling, and guessing Tenten must have finally shown up, he rolled the scroll up, and stowed it away in his side pouch. Once done, he started to the front of the shop, and could already hear the cheers for the older Kunoichi.

"I knew you would pass Tenten! You were worried for no reason, I mean heck you even made it as top Kunoichi of your class!" shouted Ino.

"Che, leave it to Ino to rupture someone's ear drums." mumbled Shikamaru, and quickly dodged the hail of kunai and shuriken sent his way via the mentioned girl, and Tenten.

"Congrats Tenten, if anyone could teach us how to use weapons like you did, the academy tests must have been easy." came the boisterous voice of Choji.

"Congratulations Tenten-chan, I'm glad you were able to pass." was the timid reply from Hinata.

"She probably scared Iruka-sensei to death by pinning him to the wall with all of her weapons." shouted Naruto as he came into the front of the store. This of course caused Tenten to turn and glare at the blonde. Naruto watched as her hand twitched above her holsters and her weapon scrolls.

"Ah, don't tell me I was wrong. I was sure you would do that, but I guess Nee-chan's sadistic streak hasn't rubbed off on you enough." stated Naruto, while waving his hands in hopes of delaying the dreaded pincushion effect.

"Very funny Naruto, you better be glad that I don't take you serious enough right now; because if I did, I might break someone's heart." retorted Tenten in a singsong voice, causing the reluctant duo to blush.

"S-so top Kunoichi, that's great Tenten." I think Baa-chan was the top Kunoichi of her class too, but then again that was probably before they kept written records." Naruto whispered the last part, knowing of Tenten's infatuation with the older blonde.

"Yep, and Hyuga Neji was top of the class, even got Rookie of the Year. So if things continue like they have in the past I should be on his team, along with Rock Lee." answered Tenten with a small blush on her cheeks, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

"Eh, why are you blushing? You have a crush on one of them or something?" asked Naruto with his mind intent on getting even with the brunette.

He soon regretted teasing the weapon mistress, as he had to quickly seek cover form the hail of weapons that were quickly sent his way.

"Like I would ever tell you, Naruto-no-baka!" shouted the girl at Naruto, who was currently shivering behind a frozen Hinata.

Now Naruto forgot one thing when he went to hide behind his no so secret crush. When he ducked behind Hinata, he had quickly grabbed her around the upper arms, just shy of her shoulders, but right near something else. It was this proximity that caused the Hyuga girl to turn and invent several shades of red.

"Hey Hinata, can you protect me from the rampaging panda? I mean we both know she would never hurt you or anything, so what do you say?" it was as Naruto said this that he tried to maneuver Hinata, and in doing so caused his hands to brush against something that sent Hinata over the edge.

The feeling of Naruto's strong and calloused hands on her arms, then them innocently brushing against her caused the poor dark haired girl to faint from the sudden increase of blood to her face. With a small "eep!" she fell into the arms of Naruto.

The shocked look on Naruto's face, and the perm a-blush of Hinata's face caused the others gathered in the room to fall to the floor, holding their sides in laughter. During this time Naruto was frantically checking Hinata over for injuries.

"Hey what did you do Tenten? I thought she was like a sister to you, and here you are throwing sharp things at her, and laughing at how you injured her!" shouted Naruto as he looked for the offending object.

Tenten would have responded, but she and the others were far too busy laughing at to be able to say anything.

Seeing no injuries to her, Naruto quickly picked her up, and carried her to the main counter of the shop. Once there he set her down, and turned to the others.

"Hey keep it down you guys. Since Tenten didn't hurt her or anything, then I guess she just fainted from not getting enough sleep. She's really been training hard with Baa-chan and her family… So we need to keep the noise down so she could catch up on her sleep." whispered Naruto, though loud enough to be heard over the laughs of his friends.

"Sure Naruto, she just passed out because she didn't get enough sleep… Man I'm glad you would never be a Med-Nin, you would probably have to amputate my arm because of a small scratch." choked out Ino.

Growling, and looking back at Hinata, he sat down in front of the counter, and waited for the others to calm down; it ended up taking several minutes for the four to finally calm down. Once they did, Naruto turned to face Tenten once again.

"So how do you know who is going to be on your team already? I didn't think they did that till the day after graduation, or at least the start of the next week." asked Naruto.

"Eh, what do you mean how do I know? The top two members of the class always end up on the same team as the person with the lowest scores." answered a now confused Tenten.

"Huh, I never knew that. Is that something that they just started to do?"

"Naruto, do you mean to tell me that you never knew this?" a nod was given by the blonde. "You live with Ibiki-san, Anko-san, and you are close to Hokage-sama and Iruka-sensei, and you never knew that this was how teams were created for nearly a decade?"

Again, Naruto only nodded to Tenten. Ino, Shikamaru, Choji and Tenten all exchanged glances before erupting into another fit of laughter.

Scowling, Naruto looked as his friends rolled around on the floor laughing, at his expense it seemed.

"Okay Naruto, I guess I will explain it to you… After the war with Kumo ended, Konoha started a program to try to keep teams balanced, academic wise. They would group together the top Kunoichi and the top Shinobi with the person in that class who had the lowest grades. These grades are determined from the time you enter the Academy to the time you finally graduate. So are you with me so far?"

Naruto nodded to the chocolate haired girl, and motioned for her to continue.

"Okay, now in my class, I was the top Kunoichi, and Hyuga Neji was the top male of this year's group. Rock Lee had the lowest grades in the class, though he could have done better if he didn't have this disease. It seems this disease he has only allows his body to produce the bare minimum amount of chakra to run his body, and nothing more. With that handicap, he is no able to use Nin of Genjutsu.

"Now since he had the lowest grades, and Neji and I had the highest, we would be placed on the same team to 'balance' things out. Though with the skills it hardly balances out, which seems stupid to me. The council really don't know what they are doing with it comes to Shinobi affairs. There are a number of people who hide their true abilities while in the academy. They do this to manipulate their placement on teams, much like I'm sure Shikamaru does." The target of the accusation only grunted in response.

"Ok, so what does that mean for me?" asked Naruto, as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation.

"Kami, you are hopeless at times. Now I think Ino said once that Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke have the highest grades in your class, correct?" Naruto nodded the affirmative.

"Okay and I think she also said you have the lowest grades in the entire class, from skipping to barely doing your work, right?" Again Naruto only nodded in response. Deep inside he was starting to get a sickening feeling in the pits of his stomach. His mind was slowly starting to piece together the information he was just given; and as it did, he did not like what he was seeing.

"Good, now since they would be the top of the class, and you would more then likely be the bottom of the class, guess what would end up happening when you graduate."

'_Ok, she said that Neji and herself were the top students, and this Lee guy was the worst student. Compare that to my situation and what do I get. Sasuke has the highest grades, and has always had them. Sakura is a bookworm, but sucks or used to suck in the Jutsu department. Still, she will likely be the top Kunoichi… KAMI NO, WHAT DID I DO IN MY PAST LIFE TO DESERVE SUCH A CRUEL PUNISHMENT!'_

"NO! I don't want to be on a team with them two! GAH what Kami up there hates me so much to put me through that!" shouted Naruto, causing the gathered friends to erupt into another round of laughter.

Naruto dropped down to his knees, and brought his hands up to grab the sides of his head, and started to pull his hair. A waterfall of tears started to cascade down his cheeks as he lowered his head, and rocked back and forth, the whole time muttering softly.

"Kami, why me? Why me Kami?"

So caught up in the laughter, and the depression, no one noticed the light laughs coming from the now wide awake Hyuga Heiress.

'_Naruto-kun, I wish I could be on your team… But you wasted so much time over the years, and now we may not ever be on the same team. How I wish the council would change their ways…'_

* * *

**A/N:** So here is the newest chapter, hope you liked it. Some of you may notice I left the weapon selection for Hinata and Shikamaru fairly open. I don't want to commit them to any single weapon just yet, and leave it open for them to practice with other such weapons. I've gotten great feedback on the weapons for them, and I am going to continue to ponder each one. So I guess I would like to thank my loyal reviewers for the help in that; I don't know what I would have done if I had to decide on my own.

What else is there, oh yeah now I know. I've gotten some reviews and messages about my choice to not go with what the Manga/Anime and other places call the Biju, and I have a fairly good reason.

The Biju, with the exception of a couple of them have very little bearing in the story. The most some may show up is in discussion of the Akatsuki, and legendary weapons, such as in this chapter. I will still have the Akatsuki, but they are not going to be the big bad baddies. I think the main enemy should be fairly clear by now, if not I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry if you don't like my Biju, but this may be one of the few times I invoke my rights as a writer.

I hope everyone liked what I showed of Naruto's mother, even if it was brief. I may not really show much more of her until she finally makes her appearance in Konoha, or where ever she finally shows up.

Poor Hinata-chan has a stalker though, and he seems to really hate Naruto. What will he do when he finally gets his chance to complete his mission?

Also, giant toads should not drink while dictating letters to the son of his deceased friend; it tends to cause some small problems.

* * *

**Jutsu / **Technique

**Jujin Bunshin **/ Beast Human Clone

A modified version of a transformation technique, this jutsu allows a user to transform their animal companion into a perfect copy of themselves. When combined with the **Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Four Legs Technique), the user and the animal become virtually impossible to tell apart, since both act equally animalistic. Like any transformation, the jutsu can be broken by identifying and attacking the animal, thus dispelling the transformation.

**Shikyaku no Jutsu **/ Four Legs Technique

This technique gives some increase of strength and speed to the user, as well as lengthening their nails into claws. Travel in this mode is somewhat akin to a dog's fast run.

**Gatsuga** / Double Piercing Fang

The user and his partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beastlike attacks when contact is made with the target. This attack can be done alone, but is less effective.

**Hari Jizo** / Needle Guardian

The user of this jutsu can grow and harden his/her hair as a shield. In addition to blocking most physical attacks, the spikes in his/her hair become as tough as nails, impaling anyone foolish enough to strike them

**Dainamikku Mākingu** / Dynamic Marking

This jutsu involves Akamaru urinating on a target, and seems to be the setup attack for something more powerful. It seems to cause irritation to the eyes, burning them and preventing the target from being able to see for a short amount of time.

**Futon: Daitoppa** / Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

This jutsu sends out a powerful explosion of chakra enforced winds from the user's location, and can easily level anything in its path. There is a way to perform a weaker version of this technique, which creates a different use for it.

**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu** / Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique

The user of this Jutsu sends chakra out into the water around them and forms it into a huge current of water into the form of a dragon. They can then send it towards their target.


	11. Storm Clouds

'_Thoughts'_

"**_Demon/Inner Self"_**

'**_Demon thoughts'_**

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

**A/N:** Well, it has been awhile. I can't really say anything, except I got caught up in life, holidays, and sickness. I also blame Final Fantasy III and XII, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. I am extremely sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out, and I will try my best to avoid such a delay again in the future. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Stalker**

That summer turned out to be one of the worst for Naruto to date. Unlike the previous ones, he was not able to spend the time with his friends and the people he considered his family. Each of his friends had training trips, or personal training with their respective families. Even the normally lethargic Shikamaru had left to train with his father for majority of the summer.

His family, Anko, Ibiki, Shizune, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sandaime, and Iruka, were all busy during the summer break. Anko and Ibiki were both sent on separate long-term missions that were supposed to last the duration of the summer.

Anko was in Earth Country keeping an eye on the troops, and where they were moving. Naruto heard that there were reports of Iwagakure building up its military for a possible war with whom no one knew. That was part of why Anko had gone there, to see if she could figure out the purposes of the sudden increase in military activity and whom it was directed at.

Ibiki was sent to Lightning Country, for nearly the same reasons as Anko was sent to Earth Country. Kumogakure Shinobi had been reported to be seen in the northeastern territory of Fire Country. With the attempted kidnapping of Hinata, and the reluctant death of Hyuga Hizashi, the actions were taken very seriously. If there was anything Ibiki had a soft spot for, it was children, and he would do anything to prevent another person in Konoha from going through what Hinata did.

Shizune and Tsunade were busy at the hospital the entire summer. The main reason for this was Tsunade's attempt at cleaning house at the hospital once the summer time came around. The first week of summer was littered with the shouts of indignation and terror by several of the hospital staff who had conducted misdeeds according to Tsunade's investigations. Since there was a loss of 30 of the hospital staff, Tsunade was forced to try to help make up for the shortage. Shizune was dragged along for the trip since she was a capable medic, nurse, and doctor as well.

Along with them, Tsunade took along Hinata, Sakura, and Ino to assist and learn when they were not training or resting. During the previous year, each had showed an eagerness to learn first aide and healing; so Tsunade wanted them to learn more about the profession that she helped to revolutionize.

Jiraiya was mostly seen doing his research or freeloading off Naruto when he was seen in Konoha. When he was never found in Konoha, he was on the road gathering information about the Akatsuki; not that Naruto knew this. Very few also knew that he was investigating the forces of Orochimaru, and the powers within Konoha that wished harm to Naruto.

The Sandaime was busy with the increase in paperwork, and mission requests for majority of the summer. This was not normally a hard job, and in fact, it was easy during the year, most of the time. Summer time though brought out the farmers and the elderly who could not bare the humid heat of Fire Country. These people would request numerous D-Rank missions for the Genin to complete. Aside from an influx in low-level missions, numerous high level missions would come in as well.

Nobles and local Lords from the neighboring smaller countries also would request escort missions, or assistance to protect their lands. The surprising thing for Sarutobi was the sudden increase in missions from the Land of Wind. Sadly for that country's Shinobi village, Sunakagure no Saito, the Lord of the country started to send mission requests to Konoha. This would end up severely hurting the economic stability of the entire Land of Wind, and could cause problems in the future for the other Nations. Sadly, though he could never decline the mission requests, to do so would shame the Land of Fire, and Konohagakure.

Iruka was often gone on C and B Rank missions, hoping to earn extra money, and keep his skills from becoming outdated. With his sudden increase in activity, and desire to better himself, he had little time to check in on Naruto, and anyone else for that matter. When he wasn't doing missions, he was often seen assisting the Sandaime in handing out missions, or checking mission requests that were brought in throughout the day all summer long. When he wasn't doing any of the above, no one knew where to find him.

This left Naruto with plenty of time to himself to do what ever he wished, within reason.

Because of those factors, Naruto spent a great deal of his time working in the forge with Tenten's father, Satome. In fact, he spent so much time there that the forges were nearly active twenty-four hours a day for majority of the week. The only time they would be shut down was to clean out all of the ash and debris from the fire pits, and scrap any metal shavings out of the pits. All of this would normally happen once a week, or when things were busy like the summer time, once every three weeks.

The workload for the two arming the forge nearly tripled with the coming of summer. More missions meant more kunai and weapons thrown, damaged, or in need of repair. This meant more weapons needing to be cast, and forged for the Shinobi populace that frequented the little shop.

When weapons were not required, clothing and other supplies were needed. Weights, shirts, vests, leathers, and an assortment of other day-to-day items that was required for Shinobi in training or on active duty. These of course would be bought from large manufacturers or made on site by Satome and Naruto.

When Naruto wasn't working in the forges, or the Higarashi Weapon shop he could be found training by anyone who cared to look for him.

His training mostly consisted of Taijutsu, in which he would work on the style being taught to him by Hikari. The style was a strange one, and as far as Naruto thought at first, nearly impossible to do. Hikari claimed that it was once the focus of rituals, where the Kitsune people, and their followers, would dance to Inari, begging for his favor. These favors would range from good fortune, to a change in the weather. This is how the Kitsune race created their own style of combat, one that they had dubbed the Go Kazagumo Mai (Five Elements Dance).

The style had five different forms, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. They had also managed to incorporate the different abilities of the Kitsune. Many of them would utilize this Taijutsu form when they were finally able to take human form. Their followers and worshippers though were the ones who mainly used this form of combat.

The first Dance, and the one being taught to Naruto currently, was the **Kaze Mai** (Wind Dance). The "dancer" would release a constant amount of chakra and use this chakra to build up the wind currents as the user moved about during a battle. This was done with wild twists, flips, and constant movement of the "dancer". When the "dancer" would attack, they release the built up energy and use it to strengthen their attacks, often pushing away or pulling the opponent towards them; depending upon the rotation use to build up the energy. The man focus of this dance is to dodge an attack, and contort the body at the same time. The momentum was then used to build up the energy needed to perform some of the more difficult attacks of the style.

Hikari had also told Naruto that he would not learn any other dance until he could perform the **Kaze Mai** perfectly without any lapse in control. He was then to test it out on a person of her choosing as a rite of passage.

The names of the other four styles also followed the basic elemental concept of the Shinobi world. **Kaji Mai** (Fire Dance), **Daichi Mai **(Earth Dance), **Mizu Mai** (Water Dance), and **Denko** **Mai** (Lightning Dance) made up the other four styles. Each of them had a way that they corresponded to the element that they were named after. How they did that, Naruto was never told. The best part of this style, according to Hikari, was that no matter who was watching they could never fully utilize this Taijutsu style without truly being in touch with the elements.

With his Taijutsu practice, he worked in weapons practice with the Tonfas given to him by Iruka. He was starting to get the hang of the weapons now, and was slowly working them into the **Kaze Mai**. He was far from mastering the weapons, and could probably master them in no time if he wished. However, since they were a gift from one of the first people outside of his family to recognize him, he was going to master them the hard way.

This was all Naruto thought about, as he got ready to head to the Academy for the start of the New Year. This was the year where he could turn his grades around enough to avoid being put on the same team as Sasuke and Sakura. Therefore, with his hopes soaring high, he left his shower to get dressed.

While getting dressed he still couldn't help but remember the armor he had also started to wear that he brought home from Wave Country just over six years ago. Once he put it one and channeled a small amount of Hikari's chakra into them, they quickly conformed to his arms and legs.

* * *

**Flashback**

It was the day after summer started, and Naruto was fully intent on getting the bets training he could in the short time he had to train himself. Before he could do that though he had one other thing to do; find the bracers and shin guards that he brought back from Wave Country.

Finding them turned out to be easy since he always kept his training gear in immaculate order, and hardly left it a mess. If anything was important and stressed by Anko and Ibiki it was finding a weapon when you needed it, and so they drilled that deep into his mind.

After finding the bag that he had kept the items in since that day over six years ago, he walked out to his room and sat on his bed. Slowly, he opened the bag and felt around inside for the pieces of armor that should help him with his new found power, and hopefully prevent any demonic urges he might have. Smiling as he finally found them; he pulled them out of the bag and placed them on his bed before closing it back up.

He carefully removed the silk wrappings from around the armor, and started to inspect them. The armor was indeed leathery in appearance and hardly looked like it would protect him from a shuriken, let alone a kunai of a katana.

'_Nee-chan, are you sure that this is the armor you wanted me to get? They seem kind of flimsy to me,'_ mentally whined Naruto as he picked up the flimsy armor.

"_**Trust me; they will be able to do the job. They were made of the scales of Ragnarok, and only require a small amount of my chakra to revive them. Once that is done, they will start to suppress your Hanyo powers from getting out of control. This could prove invaluable in the future, where you will have to depend on your strong Hanyo form. When you do, you will be assailed with demonic urges, and if you are weak willed they will overcome you. These should prevent the evil taint in that form from taking over. Now place the bracers on your arms, and the shin guards around your legs. Once they are on we can channel a small amount of my power to activate them,"**_ lectured Hikari. These would become invaluable in the future for Naruto; with his Hanyo half gaining energy every minute as her chakra was slowly absorbed into him.

When he first placed the shin guards, and bracers on they were nearly falling off him. However that all changed when a small amount of Hikari's chakra was channeled into them. As soon as the chakra hit the pieces of armor, they suddenly tightened and conformed to his arms and legs. The shin guards started to wrap around his legs; making themselves look more like greaves instead of what they were designed as at first. Each piece of armor then took on a reddish tint, with silver carvings.

The carvings on closer inspection seemed to depict a great storm thriving in the deep oceans. Winds tossing around a small ship that seemed to be lost at sea, and its sail flapping in the winds a mere set of rags. After they had finished molding to his arms and legs, he did a few stretches and found that they did not hinder any of his movements what so ever.

'_Well, they don't look so flimsy now, but are they as strong as you claimed,'_ questioned Naruto as he started to put the bag back in his equipment storage room. The other items still waiting for him to graduate form the academy to use.

"_**Test them yourself. Grab a kunai and try to stab it into the parts of your body protected by the armor."**_

Naruto only nodded, and decided to do just that. Therefore, with a quick flick of his wrist, he had a kunai spinning around his finger. He quickly grasped it in his hand and brought it down towards his left shin. Right as the blade looked like it was going to cut through the armor it cracked in half, the tip dropping to the floor breaking the silence that had settled on the room.

'_No way! That was one of the bets Kunai I've ever made,'_ ranted Naruto as he looked at his broken weapon.

"_**The scales of a dragon are very strong, and the fact that these were made from Ragnarok's own scales only adds to the fact. That worm was also smart enough to place several protective seals on the scales while they were being forged into the armor you now wear. This seal were designed to prevent any of your wild chakra from escaping, and serves to keep it in check. This is done so that no matter what my power will never dwarf yours unless the armor has been removed,"**_ answered Hikari as Naruto continued to look at the scenes depicted on the bracers, and on the shin guards turned into greaves.

"_**I'm not sure, but I believe the scene depicted on the armor is designed to show the person's role in life. Your role seems to be to weather out a very dangerous storm, one that will test everything that you are made of. You may or may not come out of this storm unharmed, just like the boat in the pictures,"**_ added Hikari as she saw Naruto start to nod his head in understanding.

'_Thanks again Nee-chan. After what happened last time, I'd hate to think about what would happen if we accidentally used too much of your chakra. I guess though it is time to head out and train and get used to these, even if they don't seem to change things much.'

* * *

_

**Present**

That had been the start of the summer, and since then he had never taken the four pieces of armor off. With them on, he was even able to enjoy shirts that didn't have sleeves all the way down to his wrist; still too ashamed to show all of the scars he sported all over his body. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he quickly finished getting dressed, and started to head out towards the Village, and meet up with the rest of his friends.

As he started to head towards the village a piney scent caught his nose, and seeing, as there were no pines around his home, he knew it could only be one person. The ANBU he only knew as Tenzo. The man wore a bear like mask, and seemed to be a nice person as far as Naruto knew. He was one of the few ANBU who would actually look out for him in his childhood, and during the early years would play small games with him. Things didn't go to well for Tenzo though, as his dog-masked captain seemed to get angry with him when he was found playing with Naruto.

The dog masked ANBU became a person Naruto hated with a passion, and it seemed to be shared by Hikari, Anko, and Ibiki. It wasn't long before he found out the name of the person, Hatake Kakashi. Naruto had vowed to make the man pay for the insults he would mutter at times, only he strengthened that vow when he found out his father was the Yondaime, and Kakashi's Sensei.

Deciding to ignore the plans of torture for the one eyed man, he quickly doubled his pace, hoping to out run the man following him.

Tenzo couldn't help but smile as he noticed the boy pumping more chakra into his limbs. Their little game of tag had started once again, and this time he could actually enjoy it. His former Captain seemed to have taken up the role of a normal Jonin in preparations for this year's graduating class, and this left Tenzo in charge of the unit. Most of all it let him enjoy the little things, like playing a game of Ninja Tag with Naruto.

By now, Naruto was nearly to the village proper, where there were fewer trees, and more signs of civilization. This only meant that he had spent too much time daydreaming, and caused him to quickly slam his hands down on the ground, sending a small mound of dirt racing towards Naruto.

Naruto felt the small burst of Chakra, and knew Tenzo was making the first move of the game. For that reason, he started to turn his head to look in every direction possible for the man to attack from. Up, Down, Left, Right, Forwards, Backwards. Naruto tried to watch all of them and anticipate where the man would attack from with his strange arsenal of techniques.

Just as Naruto was about to reach the cobblestone walkways of the village, several roots shot out of the forest floor and towards him. Silently swearing, Naruto started to dodge what he could, and use a kunai on what couldn't be avoided. After several minutes, he seemed to have finished of all of the deadly roots and channeled chakra into his legs to rocket forward, but there was one small problem with that.

Right as Naruto shot forward, still looking behind him, he crashed into a thick wooden wall that appeared in front of him. So with a sickening crunch sound as nose meet wood, Naruto started to slide down to the forest floor, and cursed himself for forgetting the tricks Tenzo could perform.

'_Damn, I forgot how good he is with Mokuton jutsus. I think I broke my nose and lost some teeth to that stupid wall,'_ screamed Naruto as he looked up to see several teeth stuck in the wall, and a trail of blood that followed his slow descent on it.

"That hurt you bear masked Bastard! I lost a few teeth this time! I might heal fast, but it doesn't change how much it hurts when you do that," screamed Naruto as he screwed his eyes shut as he tried to realign his nose. While doing this he could hear the soft sound of someone landing atop of the wooden wall.

"Sorry about that Naruto, I guess I got carried away… Really though you should have seen this, your skills must be slipping since the last time we played this game. I was honestly expecting a better challenge then this," laughed the masked man as he jumped down and helped his charge to his feet.

"I guess I was just surprised to have you guarding me again. I thought that the Inu-teme had reassigned you or something."

"Well you might see more of me now, since the former Captain stepped down recently. I believe he took the time off to take on a part time apprentice, but don't quote me on that. Right now I'm in charge of the Unit, and thankfully they all see you as a boy and not something else. I think we've talked long enough Naruto, you have to meet your girlfriend don't you," asked Tenzo.

Naruto only scowled at the man before he jumped over the wall, and took off towards the academy. By now his teeth were already growing back in, and his nose was already healed; all of these injuries being minor to the ones he experienced in the past.

"She's not my girlfriend either Tree Hugger," echoed Naruto's voice as he vanished over the rooftops, causing Tenzo to shake his head.

"She might not be just yet, but the way you two are always together, it should only be a matter of time," stated the man to no one in particular. He had just brought his hand in front of his face to activate a jutsu when he felt a sudden surge of chakra coming from some where on his body.

'_Kuso, he must have planted a bomb on me when I helped him up,'_ shouted the masked man as he knew the tricks of the young container all too well.

Before he could do anything else, his clothes exploded in a cloud of neon orange paint, the paint cloud covered his entire body and left a large orange circle around him. Judging by the amount of paint, he could only guess one thing.

'_Blast him, with the amount of paint in that one my entire body may be covered. The only thing safe might be my face thanks to the mask, but everything else is going to be orange until I can clean up. I guess he got me back for the wall of wood though,'_ muttered Tenzo as he vanished from his place in all his orange glory.

* * *

**Academy**

Naruto had managed to make it to the Hyuga compound, and upon arriving he was told that she had already left to the Academy. Sighing to himself, he quickly left to catch up with his other friends, Shikamaru, Choji and Ino. Once the four joined up, it only took minutes for them to make it to the Academy.

"Alright class, it looks like everyone is here. I see a lot of old faces, and I'm glad to see that all of you have decided to continue the path of village protectors. This should be the final year for many of you, and will be the last chance for some to finally graduate. By now you should all know the drill, so just answer when I call your name out," spoke Iruka as he looked over the list of students in his class, and started to call the names out.

Most students were paying close attention to their instructor, and hoping to start the New Year off with a bang. One small group though was busy conversing, and describing some of the things they did over the summer break.

"I was pretty bored most of the summer. I worked at the forge, and when I was free from that I practiced my Taijutsu and works with the Tonfa Iruka-sensei gave me," moaned Naruto while secretly smiling at being with his friends again.

"My mom wanted to take me to Grass Country, and a few other neighboring countries to find some new flowers for the shop. She had to change her plans though when Tsunade-sama mentioned she wanted me to help some at the hospital. My dad had me practicing something new with some of our family techniques. It was pretty fun doing it too, a shame I can't show you guys until we graduate," added Ino while winking at everyone.

"For once I was actually glad my dad took me out training this summer. Most of it was spent out in the woods with our deer herd, but it proved to be an interesting experience," mumbled Shikamaru with his head on the desk.

"I had loads of fun when my dad and I took a small training trip. He taught me some more of our family techniques that couldn't be used safely around Konoha," chipped in Choji as he looked to the only other person who hadn't added anything to the discussion.

Hinata kept her head down as she felt four sets of eyes looking at her, waiting for her to say a little about her summer. Slowly she started to raise her head and look back up at her friends, and started to speak in with her soft voice barely being heard by the four.

"Otou-san had me training as well for most of the summer. He wanted to take Hanabi-chan and I to a Hyuga estate to the east of here, but had to refrain from doing so since Tsunade-sama wanted me to help at the hospital as well. The council still over saw my training," said Hinata, with the last part being nothing but a whisper.

Shikamaru, Choji and Naruto each knew how the council felt about Hinata, even if her father seemed to be a little nicer now. Naruto was about to ask what they did, but had to quickly duck as Iruka threw a kunai at him.

"Naruto, answer the next time I call your name out! I thought you would have straightened up some this year, but it looks like you still want to slack off," yelled Iruka snapping Naruto back to the problem he faced this year.

The blonde opened his mouth to yell something back, but shut it just as quickly and flopped down into his chair with his arms crossed, and a pout evident on his face.

'_What do you know; it looks like Naruto was actually serious about doing better this year. I thought he was joking around to make me feel better, but since he didn't shout back at me it seems he is taking this seriously again,'_ spoke Iruka mentally, proud that the blonde was once again serious about school. The only other time he had seen the blonde like this was when training with Ibiki or Anko and he was learning something new from them.

Looking around the room, Iruka could see that he wasn't the only one surprised. Most of his other students were looking at Naruto, with their jaws dragging on the ground. None of them seemed to be able to believe that the boy could actually be serious. The only ones who didn't seem shocked were the ones who spent the most time with him, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.

'_I can already tell that this year is going to be special,' _thought Iruka as he started to smile at his class.

The rest of the day went by normally, and let the cadets get used to the Academy once again. They reviewed the previous year, and talked about what was expected of them this year. When the day finally ended everyone let out a cheer as they started to head out of the building, and to their respective homes. Naruto and his close friends were the last ones to leave.

As Naruto, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino started to walk out, they were surprised to see a female Chunin in what looked like bandages, with crimson eyes, and wavy black hair waiting outside the gates. As they came closer to the gates, the woman seemed to notice them, and moved to intercept them before they left the Academy grounds.

"Hinata-sama, I am here to escort you home," called out the woman in a seemingly motherly tone. Hearing this everyone in the group stopped to look at Hinata, and the woman who was supposed to escort her home.

Hinata had her head down to where no one could see her face, and with her hair shadowing and concealing it, it was nearly impossible to see her eyes. She seemed to walk numbly towards the woman, not even saying a word to her friends as she settled in next to the person none of them knew.

"Hey, why do you have to walk Hinata-chan home? I've always done it in the past since we live in the same part of town. Besides, she has never needed anyone to walk her home before, so why start this now," questioned Naruto. Something about this situation didn't seem right to him, and it was setting off a number of his senses.

"I am Yuhi Kurenai, and I have been told by the Hyuga Council that I am to escort Hinata-sama home and to the Academy every day until she graduates. Why they have requested this, I do not know. I only know what I am told for the mission, and my mission is to do what I just told you. I was also told to ensure she did not mingle with you on her way home, or on her way to the Academy," declared Kurenai as she pointedly looked at Naruto. The tone in her voice said she was serious, and would do everything she could to follow this through to the "T". Her eyes seemed to tell a different story to Naruto though.

Her red eyes seemed to scream out that she was sorry for this, and didn't want any part of it. It was almost as if they were pleading with the group not to question her orders any more then they had already. Even as she was talking they shifted to the sides, almost as if they were seeking an unseen enemy some where in the area.

Shikamaru sighed, and Choji stood there trying to think of something to say. Ino looked as if she was about to blow her top at the way things had suddenly changed. The one everyone seemed to watch though was Naruto, as he stood there with his head down, and fists clenched in what looked like anger.

"Hinata-chan…," whispered Naruto, with his teeth grinding as he struggled to keep his voice even. With his head down, he never noticed Hinata flinch at the tone of voice he was using.

"I'm sorry Naruto-san, but I must go now," whispered Hinata as she turned around and started to follow Kurenai down the path leading to the Hyuga compound. Her friends just stood there, unable to believe their eyes and ears at what just happened.

"N-Naruto, are you alright," questioned Choji as he started to close in on his friend, and moved to place a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him.

"W-what just happened," asked a confused Ino as she looked back and forth between Naruto, and the direction Hinata had left in. The quiver in her voice told the others just how confused and hurt she was at what just happened.

Shikamaru didn't bother to say anything, knowing that the words would be ignored. Instead, he motioned for Ino and Choji to head on home. As he walked past Naruto, he stopped just long enough to whisper a message to him, "Don't do anything irrational Naruto. As much as we both hate the Hyuga Elders, there is nothing we can do right now. Lets play this out and see what we can find out," and after saying his message he quickly followed Ino and Choji.

Naruto stood there shaking as he tried to keep the anger he felt under control, resisting the urge to run to the Hyuga compound and paint the white walls red with the blood of the Elders.

'_T-those bastards… Something smelled off with Hinata-chan the entire day. I thought she was just nervous again like she used to be, but now I know those Elders did something to her over the summer. When I find out what they did, there will be hell to pay,'_ cried Naruto internally as he fought to control his raging emotions.

"_**There will be enough time for that later, right now I think it would be best if we got home, or some place secluded in the forests. You are doing an amazing job, but you are going to change soon, and to do that in the middle of Konoha would be a nightmare,"**_ cut in Hikari as she could feel Naruto's body starting to shift. With a feral growl, Naruto set off on the rooftops of Konoha towards his home, hoping that there would be no obstructions between him and there.

Tenzo watched as Naruto fled to the forests of Konoha, unshed tears flying away with the wind. He knew that his orders were to shadow to young boy. However, after the sudden coldness of his first friend, he knew the boy would need some time alone.

'_I suppose it is a good thing I planted one of the seeds on him earlier. I just hope that this is not a sign of things to come, if so I hate to see how things will end up. Looks like I'll have to wait for the paint cleaner.'

* * *

_

Hinata had walked home silently, and with her head down. She did not pay attention to the passing scenery, and only barely registered she was finally at home when she was lead to her room by one of the numerous Branch members of the Hyuga family. Once there she let all of her raging emotions bubble up to the surface. It would be the first time in nearly four years that she had broken down and started to cry herself to sleep in her home. Whom did she have to blame for her current position?

Naruto, who had only been a pillar of strength for her, and only tried to make sure she was treated nicely by those around them, No, it would be wrong to blame him for this. He had done nothing wrong, and it hurt her to see his face when she parted with him. She could see and hear his heart breaking with the final cold words she said. It pained her to say them as well, but she had no other choice. The Elders would have her followed by members of her own family, and to disobey them now would be a grave error on her part.

Could she blame her Father, who left her alone in the Hyuga compound with the Elders? He had left with Hanabi to a small summer home that the clan kept for private retreats of the Elders and the head of the clan. She had to stay to continue her training with Tsunade, which was the only way she was able to leave the compound now and during the summer. He could hardly be blamed for her current predicament. He would never have guessed that the Elders would do what they did.

She was tempted to blame herself for what was currently happening. Had she listened to the council back when she first started the Academy, and stayed away from Naruto, she wouldn't be where she was today. Had she resisted the urge to know the young blonde ball of energy, she wouldn't have to worry about the Elders' threats. However, if she did stay away from Naruto back then, she wouldn't be the person she was today. She never would have been given the chance to train with Tsunade and Jiraiya. If Naruto had not recognized her from the park on their first meeting, there was no telling how she would have ended up. All she knew was that she cherished the time she spent with him, and would have to enjoy the brief time she could with him during classes. The only thing she would have to do is act like nothing was happening. That alone would be the greatest task of her life, but she would endure to ensure Naruto's safety and the safety of Hanabi and Neji.

No, in the end, there was only one group she could blame, and the best way to describe them was how Naruto described them so many times in the past. They were the bane to her existence, and had finally been given a chance to exercise that power while her Father was gone over the summer. If it weren't for them, then she would be able to spend this time with Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and most of all Naruto. If they hadn't played the one card she was bound to listen to, she wouldn't be here crying right now. It was times like now that she could see why people like Uchiha Itachi would kill off his entire clan, and how her cousin, Neji, could hate an entire house.

The sad thing was that right now there was very little she could do about it. She had to hide the truth from Naruto, or he would do something drastic. If she knew him, he would probably charge into the Hyuga compound and get himself killed. Choji and Shikamaru would likely follow him in if they new as well. No, she could never let them know what happened over the summer.

She would wait until the time was right, and when the people who were watching over her would least expect it. They would win for now, but they would let their guards down, and when they did, she would make them pay for the pain they caused her. More importantly, they would pain for the pain they made her cause her friends.

Thinking about her friends caused her to reach under her bed roll, and pull up a loose floorboard. Beneath the board was one of her most prized possessions, the present Naruto gave her a year ago. It was the only thing that gave her peace since the Elders had trapped her. Now though, would Naruto could if she ever called him with this? Would he still care about her enough to save her if she needed it?

'_Naruto-kun I'm sorry, but I have to do this. This is for Nii-san, and Hanabi-chan. I could never look at myself again if I let them get hurt,'_ thought Hinata as sleep and exhaustion finally took over.

* * *

**December**

The winter season in Konoha came in as dry as a bone, with the temperature dropping, but no rain or snow to join it. Even then, only the brave would be outside training or moving around in the cold weather that seemed to mimic the mood of a certain group of Shinobi hopefuls.

Out of this group, one seemed to mirror the weather perfectly, as if he thought that the joys of spring time would never come to him again. Even as he worked himself to exhaustion in the weather, he could fell no comfort or joy by his actions. He would go through the training as if he was not in control of his body, and would only realize what he had been doing when someone spoke to him, or he dropped from exhaustion. This was how Uzumaki Naruto had spent the months since Hinata's change in behavior.

Anyone walking through the woods where he was now could hear the slicing of wood as the hanyo worked on his skills with the Tonfas given to him by Iruka the previous year. The tree he was at showed the time he spent trying to refine his skills with the weapons; as the bark held the scars of his labor, as did the other trees that lined the small clearing.

Along with the scars of his weapons, the scars of numerous techniques could be seen; those that failed, and those that were successful. The most interesting ones would be the human like indentions in several of the trees, but those were not just limited to this clearing. Indeed, those could be found all around the forest that surrounded his home.

With a final cry of pent up anger, Naruto slashed the tree in front of him one last time as he collapsed to the ground breathing deeply. Sweat was running down his face, and his clothes were soaked. None of this bothered him though, even with the winter gusts that were blowing through the forest around him. Turning, he put his back to the tree, and looked up towards the sky, watching the clouds of his breath as his breathing started to return to normal.

"_**You know, if you continue to work yourself like this, you are going to either injure yourself, make yourself sick, or cause your family and friends to worry about you,"**_ spoke Hikari from within his mind. It was not the first time since the incident that she reprimanded him for his new intense training regime, and it would not be the last time either.

'_I don't care. If I was stronger, I might not have let Hinata-chan down,'_ retorted Naruto as he looked up into the night sky.

"_**You don't even know if that is why she is behaving the way she is. What if our first guess was right, and it was the Hyuga Elders,"**_ countered Hikari, hating the way this argument always went.

'_She wouldn't let them push her around. She would at least talk with Shikamaru and the others while in class, but she didn't do that until I stopped hanging around with them.'_

"_**She would if there was a good reason. You need to be patient and wait for her to tell you why she is acting the way she is."**_

'_How do you know she didn't try to call for me to help her, and I didn't have the Jutsu down well enough to be able to come to help her? I can barely sense the signal from a distance now, and that is after training all summer and fall to do it. If she tried to call me during the summer, and I didn't come, I let her down.'_

"_**Don't you think we would have heard if something dangerous happened to her during the break? If something bad happened to your friends, you would have known about it by now. Quit beating yourself up over something you had no control over; If you continue acting the way you are right now, it will only dull your skills and your mind. You are doing causing yourself more trouble then anything else right now," snapped Hikari, as she finally grew tired of the same old debate with the young Hanyo.**_

Naruto had nothing else to say as he sat there looking up into the sky, thinking of how things had changed over the last few months.

Since Hinata quit hanging around Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, the group started to distance themselves form each other. To be more exact, Naruto started to distance himself from them, feeling as if he was to blame for Hinata's change in behavior. He had hoped that without him there, she would at least accept them again.

At first, it didn't look like he was to blame for her distance from them. However, his hopes were soon bashed down as she started to talk with the trio more and more. He could do nothing but watch on as she interacted with them, and the other members of the class. However, when it came to him she would turn her nose up, and act as if she could hardly tolerate breathing the same air as him.

What hurt the most were the looks he would now get from the villagers and even some of the other students in class, such as Sasuke and Kiba. Looks that seemed to be glad he was no longer happy. Eyes that said they were glad he had lost his closest friend.

The eyes of Kiba though bothered him the most. They were eyes of triumph, eyes that said he had won the battle for Hinata's heart. Even though Kiba only talked with her, and then that was done in one or two syllable words; it was far more and better then what occurred between Naruto and Hinata.

"_**Naruto, you need to return home and get some rest while you still can. It isn't good for you to stay out all night; like you have for the last few months…"**_

'_It isn't like I can get sick or anything Nee-chan. I can't stand to sleep either… I keep seeing those eyes, and I hate seeing Hinata-chan's eyes the way they have been so far. I… I just wish she would tell me or someone what was wrong,'_ answered Naruto.

"**_I keep telling you to talk with Tsunade-chan, Anko-chan, Shizune-chan, Ibiki, or Iruka. Yet you never heed my words. I've tried talking with you, but I can not help you much locked away inside of you,"_** chided Hikari from within his mind.

'_Maybe… Maybe I will talk with Nee-chan in the morning. I hate not knowing or understanding what is going on. She and Iruka-sensei seem closer now too, so maybe she can help me out. If she can't maybe Iruka-sensei could… I'll be damned before I ever ask Ero-Sennin for help with girls though,'_ remarked Naruto as he started the painfully slow process of pulling himself up from the tree he had tried to beat to death.

"I don't get why I am so tied after that work out. It is the same ones I did during the summer, and even then with the heat I was never this tired," complained Naruto as he picked up his weapons, and placed them in the make shift holsters on his thighs.

"_**I've told you before; you are only hurting yourself with these wild practices. You've lost some strength and stamina from these sessions. It is true you are exerting yourself, but training yourself improperly does not give you the benefit a proper training regime would give. You threw that proper training out the window around the beginning of September when Hinata and Kiba started to spend more time together."**_

Hearing the words started to cause his blood to boil at the memory. It had happened a month after they started the New Year, and Kiba and Hinata were walking out of the main building. The thing that nearly caused Naruto to explode and attack Kiba was seeing his arm draped over the shoulders of Hinata. To make things worst, the heiress never bothered to remove it or reprimand the Inuzuka.

After that, he watched them walk down the street, with Kurenai following them from behind. The entire time Naruto was being held back by Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and surprisingly Shino; who had rushed over when the ground was flooded with Naruto's killing intent directed at the Dog user.

With a wild howl, Naruto slammed his fist into a tree as he walked past it. The attack easily destroyed the tree, causing it to explode in a shower of debris, as chakra was force into the attack.

'_Thanks for reminding me Nee-chan,'_ growled Naruto internally as he ignored his bleeding hand, and stalked home.

* * *

**Hokage Tower**

"I'm very worried about Naruto. It seems his grades and overall performance has been dropping lately. At this rate, he would be lucky to graduate with his friends," spoke the Sandaime Hokage as he took a long pull on his pipe. In front of him was Ibiki, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune; each of them look just as worried as the Hokage was at the moment.

Over the last few months, each of them had seen a change in their charge and his friends. The first thing they noticed was the obvious absence of Hinata in the group, and then from there the slow decline in Naruto's behavior. The final cause for concern was when Naruto cut himself off from his friends, every one of them, and started to train by himself late at night.

"Yes, it has become apparent that if we don't do something soon, he will fail to graduate. Not only that but from what I have seen in his late night sessions, his skills have become blunted by poor practice and form," added Jiraiya, who for once was not leering at Tsunade and Shizune.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was the boy I meet just over a year ago. The only thing stopping me from claiming that is the sour mood he has been in as of late," chipped in Tsunade before she took a slow sip of Sake, which showed how much this unnerved her. Beside her Shizune nodded in agreement, and Ibiki just sat their silently with the scowl on his face being the only thing to show his mood.

"Well we can all agree on the changes, but what can we do to fix the problem? If it isn't fixed after this break, then his chances of graduating are slim to none with his past performance. If that happens, then who knows how he may take it," questioned the Sandaime again, hoping to find some answers to all of the questions.

"I'd say we start at the source of the problem, Hyuga Hinata. It is obvious all the changes started after she left, and it some how deeply changed Naruto. Even Iruka has stated that she has been cold towards Naruto at the Academy, which is cause for concern when we look back at how they used to be inseparable."

"For once the pervert is right. I've noticed how withdrawn she has become during our sessions together. When I first asked her what was bothering her, I was only told that she was fine. I didn't press the matter much at the time, and now I wish I did," added Tsunade while Jiraiya glared at her.

"If she wouldn't tell you then Tsunade-sama, what would make you think she would say now? I'm certain you don't want Ibiki to torture the truth out of her, do you," asked Shizune with a questioning and worried look on her face. Next to her, Ibiki only snorted as he tried to fight to keep form laughing. Instead, he earned a sharp elbow to the ribs from the Med-Nin next to him, and a glare that made him resume his former scowling mask before speaking.

"No, I don't think we need to do anything that drastic. I do however know who we need to speak with; as I'm sure, he noticed a sharp change in his daughter's behavior. If anything, Hiashi would know something, or at least be able to find the answers we can not," stated Ibiki evenly in a calm voice. The others in the room only nodded in agreement at the man's idea.

"Very well then, Tsunade, since she is your student, I suggest you and Shizune go and speak with him. If you wish Ibiki, you may go as well since it has caused a drastic change in Naruto's behavior as of late. I want this problem to be solved before the next half of the year begins," declared Sarutobi as he blew out clouds of smoke from his pipe, never taking his eyes off the people in front of him. "Now that all the serious business is taken care of, does anyone know where Iruka and Anko are? They were supposed to be here for this meeting as well," questioned the wizened old Kage.

* * *

**Uzumaki House**

Naruto had finally made it home, and one of the first things he noticed was how all of the lights were out in the house. Seeing this caused him to let out a heavy sigh, knowing that he would be spared talking about his problems for another night. It was with those thought that he stumbled into his home, and walked into the kitchen portion in hopes of fixing a late night snack before heading to bed.

If Naruto had his wits about him, he might have noticed a few signs that there were still people in the large house. Even more importantly, that those people were still very much awake, and that one of them was currently in the same spot he was heading towards. Despite all of the signs, he was too absorbed in thinking over his problems and speaking with Hikari to notice all of this. Therefore, he was in for quite a surprise.

Naruto walked mechanically into the kitchen and towards the large fridge in search of something cold to drink. As he drew near his destination he absently bumped into something, or someone. Grumbling, and with sleep starting to take hold on him, he moved to push the thing away, hoping it wasn't the wall. When he did reach up to push, his hand meet something unexpected, and caused his eyes to open widely as he jumped to wide awake status in a matter of seconds.

Naruto quickly jumped away from the figure in front of him, and withdrew a kunai from his pouch and crouched down. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at his 'attacker', and cried out in surprise at what he saw.

As his eyes started up the body of his attacker, the first thing he noticed was the bare feet of the person who had come into his home to attack him. As he went further up, he was even more surprised that the person wore no pants, and seemed to have what looked like boxer shorts covering the lower half of his body. He was then shocked once again as he notice the bare torso of his attacker, which also seemed to be absent of any weapons.

'_What kind of idiot would come to attack me without any clothes or weapons? Some new type of assassin who wants to kill me by being nude,'_ questioned Naruto as he continued to inspect his would be attacker. All of his questions though ceased when he came to the face of the person in front of him.

Brown hair that reached the squared shoulders of the man who had tanned skin that was a few shades darker then his own. The most surprising thing about his 'attacker' was that his faced was just as surprised about the appearance of Naruto, which was something unexpected by the blonde. Despite all of this, the thing that caused Naruto to cry out in surprise was the present scar across the face that he now recognized as none other then his favorite sensei, Umino Iruka.

"S-sensei, what are you doing in my house like that," cried out Naruto as he dropped his weapon and started to back pedal out of the kitchen. He was nearly our when he bumped into someone else, and heard the person's call out.

"Iruka-kun, why are you taking so long," the too sweet and obviously faked whine of a person that made Naruto's body freeze where he was on the ground. Instead of a verbal answer, Iruka point down towards the speaker's feet with his eyes wide and mouth open in surprise.

'_**This is not going to be good,'**_ mumble Hikari mentally as she realized what they had walked into.

"O-Otouto, Don't turn around or look up," came the strangled shocked shout of Anko as she tried to flee the areas before Naruto got a glimpse of something he shouldn't.

Before she could even turn around there was already the loud thump of a body hitting the floor, and the sound of someone rushing over to it. Even then, Anko didn't stop running until she reached her room, and slammed the door shut and started to at least pull a robe on.

Then for what would be the first time ever for Anko, she started to blush as she realized that her little brother might have just seen his Nee-chan like the day she was born. What made things worst was that now _someone_ might have to sit him down and have a nice long talk with him.

* * *

**Hyuga Compound**

The next morning brought Tsunade, Shizune, and Ibiki to the home of the most prestigious clan of the Hidden Leaf Village bright and early. The main reason for calling upon Hiashi so early was in hopes of getting to the depths of the problem soone.

Currently they were all three waiting inside of Hiashi's private tea room, where he would often sit and speak with honored guests about important matters. It was also one of the only areas where no one would dare to ease drop on the conversation being held within the small room. The occupants were currently involved in a heated debate on what seemed to have occurred the previous night before.

"I can't believe Anko would be so irresponsible. I mean Naruto could be scarred for life now because of that," muttered Tsunade as she thought of several ways to make the younger Kunoichi's life a living hell.

"It was an accident Tsunade-sama. How was she supposed to know he would be home two hours earlier then he normally is? I admit it is a little disturbing," countered Shizune in a hushed tone, and at the same time trying to hide a blush that was starting to form on her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter; she shouldn't have been walking around like that. We can't do anything about it now though. Maybe we can get this finished early, and then Ibiki could have the "talk" with Naruto. I absolutely forbid Jiraiya giving it to him," finished Tsunade as she heard foot steps coming down the halls towards them.

Ibiki, from his position next to Shizune, started to sputter softly when the Slug Sannin finished, and looked pleadingly to Shizune next to him, hoping to find a way out of the situation. The apprentice only smiled towards him, and shook her head gently. As she saw the bear like man's face darken, she couldn't help but laugh softly at seeing the ANBU interrogator's face. Before anything else could be said, the door at the end of the room opened to reveal their hosts.

* * *

Hiashi did not know why Tsunade had decided to come to his home a second time, but he knew the matter had to involve Naruto. The only thing that made him assume this of course was the arrival of Morino Ibiki with the Slug tamer and her long time apprentice. For him to be there with that duo, it had to concern Naruto.

Despite that, he knew that what ever it was concerning Naruto, it had to also deal with the current changes his eldest daughter had gone through in the previous months. After all, what father would not notice the lack of her once close friends, and obvious affections towards the boy? What made it more likely was that they did not have their yearly outing for Hinata.

He of course tried to question the girl, but came up with nothing. In the past he would have questioned her until he was given an answer, but now he knew how that affected her in the past. To add to his worries, she was now acting more like the rest of her family. She was cold, and calculated; she was no longer the kind caring girl that he left at home over the summer.

Despite those obvious changes, he could still see a small part of her underneath her ice cold exterior. Unlike the other members of the Main House, she has never activated the seal placed on the Branch Members. This fact alone let him know that some where inside of the ice sculpture, his daughter was hiding.

So it came as no surprise to hear that Tsunade, Shizune, and Ibiki were waiting for him in his private meeting room. The only thing that truly surprised him was how long it took for them to decide to meet with him concerning the matter. The only thing he needed to do now was retrieve the only person who would be able to shed some light on the situation.

Once he decided on his course of action, it didn't take him long to arrive at his eldest daughter's door. Before he knocked, he stood there and listened, hoping that perhaps he could over hear something of some importance. What he heard caused his frown to deepen as the soft sounds of a crying girl floated to his ears. He would have missed the sound had it not been for his Shinobi life. Stifling a growl of anger, he knocked on the door; his sudden desire to get to the bottom of the problem increasing ten fold.

He could tell he had startled his daughter, as the sounds of sudden activity could be heard easily in the hall. Objects being moved and lifted around was easily heard by the Head, and only served to increase his curiosity. Several seconds went by, and the sounds continued, until one distinctive sound stood out to Hiashi. It was the sound of wood paneling being snapped back into place; an old and yet always used trick among the children in the Hyuga clan. If would not be hard for him to guess where the loose floorboard was located either, but that would have to wait until he had a chance to search the room himself.

Finally, he could hear her voice call out for him to enter, and he did so without hesitating. Walking in he could see she had tried to clean up what ever mess she made in a hurry. Even now he could see the corners of sheets sticking out from the closet, and the trunk below her window. Even her bed roll was askew, which never seemed to happen before. After a quick scan of the room, he turned to look at his daughter, and the sight caused his breathe to catch in his throat.

He had only seen his daughter's eyes red before, and that was when she cried over the death of her mother. After that day, she never cried enough to cause her eyes to turn red, or even show signs of such events. Now though he could see the puffy eyes, and even the black bags that were forming underneath the pale lavender orbs.

'_Why haven't I seen that before? Hinata, just what has been bothering you,'_ pondered Hiashi.

"Hinata we have guests that wish to speak with us. I shall be waiting outside while you make yourself presentable. It would be wise not to keep Tsunade-sama and her company waiting for too long," stated Hiashi in a softer tone, softer then he had used in previous years. He could tell she was surprised by his declaration, but did not dwell on it as he turned and left her room. Closing the door behind him, he stood guard as his mind raced with the possibilities of what would be uncovered in the upcoming talks.

After what seemed like hours, Hinata came walking out of her room, dark rings beneath her eyes gone, hidden under makeup of a simple Henge. Hiashi nodded to her, and was about to lead her away to the meeting when he stopped in mid-step. Spinning around, he looked down at his daughter, frowning when her eyes did not meet his.

"Come Hinata, Tsunade-sama tends to get angry when left waiting for too long," stated Hiashi as he started towards his private meeting room.

* * *

Tsunade was surprised to see that Hiashi was not wearing his stoic mask, but instead had a dazed and confused look on his face. Beside him, Hinata was once again looking down at the ground, never meeting the eyes of anyone in the room.

"Hiashi-san, what seems to be the problem," questioned Tsunade as he walked in, closed the door, and went about the room placing tags on all six surfaces of the room. Even after doing that he did not respond as the veins near his temple bulged out. He seemed to take a quick scan of the room before he settled down besides Hinata, opposite of Tsunade, Shizune and Ibiki.

"This is so that we may speak freely without the eyes and ears of the outside world listening in and watching us. We may all speak freely in here now, so do not feel like you must hold your tongue Hinata," commented Hiashi as he settled in and prepared for what ever may be said next.

"Hinata, we are all here today to ask you why the sudden change in behavior. Since the summer break, you and Naruto have been acting oddly. Not only that but it seems you no longer wish to have anything to do with him, only Shikamaru, and the others. Would you like to explain these events? I would also like to hear about this escort that you seem to now have, and who hired the person to escort you to and from the Academy," started Tsunade, catching the girl's body flinching with each sentence she said. Looking to her left and right, she could tell it was picked up by Ibiki and Shizune as well. Shizune seemed to have a confused look on her face, but Ibiki seemed to be angry with the results.

Hiashi looked down at his daughter as well, never having heard of any escorts, nor did he remember ever requesting such services. After the bond he saw with her friends, he stopped all Hyuga members from shadowing her, so this was all news to him.

"Hinata, it would be wise if you spoke up now. I too would like to know about this escort, as I have strictly forbidden any member of the clan from shadowing you. As I said before, what ever is said in here will only be between us," whispered Hiashi as he tried to coax her into talking.

Silence reigned supreme inside of the room for several minutes. Majority of the occupants were focused on the smallest occupant, waiting for the indigo haired girl to begin explaining everything. The same girl was currently fidgeting, and had fallen into her old habit of poking her fingers together. After what seemed like an eternity to the girl, the dark haired apprentice of Tsunade spoke up.

"Hinata-chan, if you open up to us, and maybe we can help; we all care about you and Naruto. Whatever could cause the two of you to change so much, and in such a negative way concerns each of us," pleaded Shizune as she tried to look into the girl's eyes. Beside her, Tsunade tried to bite back a snort at the pleading sound of Shizune's voice.

"Hinata-chan, I will say this only once. We do care about you, and we want to know what is bothering you, however if you do not tell us, we may have to seek alternative means of finding that information out. It wouldn't be anything as extreme as a trip to Ibiki, but he knows some less painful methods, and I'm sure we could talk a Yamanaka into assisting if needed," stated the busty blonde Sannin as she decided to forgo the idea of peacefully getting the information.

Across from Tsunade, Hiashi started to glare at the woman, not liking what was being said. He looked down to his daughter, and could see her shocked face at the words of Tsunade. Never before had she ever heard the woman talk that way to her, or any other child.

'_Tsunade-sama… Have I truly made you that angry with me? Is it possible that I have caused everyone pain and anguish? I want to trust them, and tell them everything; but what is word got out that I told someone… No, I have caused enough pain to my friends. I will tell them,'_ shouted Hinata internally as she snapped her head up to look at Tsunade across from her.

"Tsunade-sensei, Shizune-sensei, Ibiki-san, and Otou-sama I have much to tell you….."

* * *

"Naruto just open the door and we can talk," shouted Iruka through the thick wooden door leading to Naruto's room. He had been trying to talk to the boy for the last four hours about the events of the previous night; unfortunately, Naruto didn't seem to be in the talking mood right now.

'_Anko-chan is going to kill me if I don't fix this problem. That is nothing compared to what Tsunade-sama said she would do to me if this happened again,'_ whined Iruka as he pounded on the door again, hoping for the boy to finally answer. After Anko had rushed to her room the previous night, and Naruto passed out, Iruka was bouncing from one problem to the next.

When Naruto passed out the previous night he started to freak out. He and Anko had not expected the boy to be back from his late night training two hours early, and decided to spend a little time together instead of meeting with the Hokage. Boy did that ever turn out wrong for him.

He had gone down to get some refreshments from the fridge when Naruto walked in and saw him in nothing but a pair of boxers. That alone was probably enough to scar the boy for life, what happened next would cause him extreme mental anguish. When Anko walked in behind Naruto, in just her birthday suit, Iruka paled completely. When she started talking he could see the shock registering on Naruto's face.

Thankfully before Naruto could turn around, Anko was already heading back upstairs. That still didn't stop the shock of the current situation from overloading Naruto's mind, and causing him to pass out. Not knowing what caused the reaction; Iruka rushed over and checked him for injuries, only to find none. Thinking that perhaps it could have been internal injuries, he made the biggest mistake of the night, and picked up Naruto's unconscious form and rushed to the Hokage Tower for Tsunade to check him over.

The Slug Tamer was not at all pleased with the way he showed up when he barged into the office of the Sandaime. Be it the way he was dressed, and the insinuations that could come from it, or the topic they were discussing he was never sure. One thing he was thankful for was the quick thinking mind of Jiraiya, as he was pulled out of the path of one of Tsunade's destructive punches.

Shizune, with a small blush, quickly ran over to where Naruto had fallen and started to check him over. Tsunade stopped trying to bash his head in long enough to check on the young vessel, Jiraiya seemed to be asking him questions so fast he hardly heard them. Ibiki and the Hokage were only laughing at the small exchange, and the sudden blushing that formed on Iruka as Jiraiya's questions started to sink in.

After he was pronounced fine, and a threat from Tsunade to wear more clothes, or risk castration, he rushed Naruto home and to his room. He then went to pick his clothes up, and check in on Anko. The dark haired woman was embarrassed, and clearly shaken up that her little brother nearly saw her in all of her natural glory; she was ashamed of herself.

She had been able to prevent such things form happening over the last six years. Even when she would take him with her to the hot springs when he was younger, she would always make sure they changed separately, and she had a towel large enough to hide all of her body.

It had been left up Iruka to calm her down, and assure her everything would be fine. He had even gone as far as to assure her he would talk with Naruto in the morning, and if needed give him the "talk". That ended up bringing him to the boy's door the next day.

"Come on Naruto, I know you may not want to talk to me or see me right now, but this is important," shouted Iruka once again.

"Still no answer Iruka," asked Anko as she started to walk to the door. The only answer she was given was a heavy sigh, and the form of Iruka sliding down the wall next to the door.

"No, I almost forgot how stubborn he could be at times. I mean this semester he mostly skipped the Academy, or he would sleep through the lessons. He doesn't even seem to care about if I get on to him or not any more," groaned the Academy teacher as he finally reached the floor and hung his head.

"I would normally be all for breaking down the door and asking yelling at him…"

"Yeah, but with his traps there is no way I would want to do that either. I'd be afraid he would test one of his newest toys on us," finished Iruka as he caught onto what Anko was thinking. If only they had the Byakugan, they would have saved themselves a great deal of trouble.

* * *

The sun was shining down through the canopy of leaves as wild blonde hair blew through the wind, and Naruto jumped from tree to tree. He had left his room when Iruka first started to pound on the door.

After the extremely awkward situation from the previous night he wasn't sure if he could ever look at Anko and Iruka the same again. Being around Jiraiya so much, a few things were bound to rub off and warp his mind, even with Hikari trying to prevent it. With that in mind he left the house through his balcony window as fast as he could. Now he was off to the only place he seemed to be able to clear his mind and think clearly of the past; his father's head on the Hokage monument.

"_**While I don't agree with what they were possibly doing last night, I still don't agree with running from the problem. You will have to face them sooner or later, and get over the awkwardness of the situation."**_

'_I don't care; I just need to clear my head right now. So much is going on, and I don't know what to make of it. Nee-chan hardly noticed Iruka-sensei at first, and only started realizing his feelings when I told her,'_ countered Naruto as he flipped around in the air.

"_**Oh, you mean like you and Hinata right? After all you never noticed her feelings for you until someone said something,"**_ growled out Hikari. As she said this, Naruto could have sworn he saw her with a pout on her face, and her hands on her hips.

"Just leave me alone, and let me think," bit back the blonde as he tried his best to ignore his eldest "sister".

Around this time he finally emerged at the top of the Hokage monument, and took his seat on the head of the Yondaime to over look the village in the early morning light. Once he was settled in, laying down and looking at the sky, he let his mind roam on the events of his life leading up to now.

As he looked up at the clouds in the sky he started to do something that came naturally to him now, play with his Kitsune-bi. Ghostly blue flames erupted in his hands, and started to dance around his body, and move with his thoughts. As the flames danced around him, they took the shapes of animals, people, and places as he thought of them.

'_Otou-san, what would you tell me to do if you were here right now? From the stories 'Bunta-Oji-san sends me, you would say something stupid, and Kaa-san would hit you on the head, and give me real advice,'_ thought Naruto as his ethereal flames continued to dance. Every now and then they would try to form a face, one that he could only imagine as his mother.

"Kaa-san, where are you? I wish you were here now to help me, and maybe then I could quit hiding. Who knows, maybe then Hinata-chan would see me worthy of being a friend again," after Naruto finished the thought; the hairs all over his body started to stand on end. His flames vanished in the blink of an eye, and just as quickly Naruto was blinded by a bright white light.

In the next few moments Naruto knew nothing but pure mind numbing pain. His vision clouded, and his body started to convulse as he was hit with a massive bolt of energy. His ears were filled with the sound of the energy crackling as it coursed through his body. Before he was overwhelmed, he could smell his hair being singed by the heat generated by the energy. All he could do in those brief seconds, which felt like hours of pain, was open his mouth in a silent scream of agony. Then just as quickly as it happened, his back settled down from the unnatural angle it had contorted into.

"**Raiton: Raikou Dageki** (Lightning Release: Lightning Strike), a basic technique most Kumo Shinobi know, similar to Konoha's fire jutsu," came a voice from the trees that lined the top of the monument. "Oh how I have waited to get you alone like this to eliminate you and then finally complete my mission," added the voice as he watched Naruto continue to convulse from the attack."

Naruto for the most couldn't do anything except try to block out the pain caused by the attack. He felt like he had been cooked from the inside, and felt like his blood was boiling. His skin was blistered form the heat generated by the high powered attack. Despite all of this, he could feel the minor wounds, and some of the major pain start to lessen, his healing ability starting to kick in and feed off of his dual chakra sources.

"Wha-what do you w-want," croaked out Naruto, hoping to stall for his body to heal enough to be able to move again.

"A smart boy I see, you wouldn't be stalling for time, would you? I suppose it doesn't matter all that much, you are hardly a threat to me now. If I was to have attacked you months ago, I might have been worried," the man paused just outside of Naruto's sight, and laughed at the confused look that passed over the boy's face. "I want you dead, and then I could complete the mission that I was sent to do nearly seven years ago. Even though you will be dead, you will not have the honor of learning of my purpose. All you need to know is that now you will die by my blade."

'_Nee-chan, how much longer, this guy's killing intent is too familiar. I think he is the one we have sensed following Hinata-chan,'_ shouted Naruto mentally as he started to panic over his current situation. Placing the killing intent as the same and going by what he knew of Kumo, he could only guess what his mission was.

"_**Another few seconds and you should be able to move. I'm taking off the weights I gave to you, and I suggest doing the same to the other weights. Be extremely careful, he seems to have been watching you, and may know everything you could be capable of. The most you could do is to do something to get help to come to you. Since he seems to use lightning as a weapon, get into the woods, you should be a little safer there from most of his techniques,"**_ rushed Hikari as she tried pushing as much chakra as she could to heal him, and yet stop just short from overwhelming him with it.

'_I think I know how to get help, I just hope it is someone who knows Baa-chan watching me today. I have a bad feeling I am going to need some serious healing before this is over,'_ added Naruto as he started to struggle to speak.

"GAMAKICHI, if you are out there run and get Baa-chan; tell her I need help, and let her know where I am," screamed Naruto with the strength he could muster. His voice cracking and the pain causing him to punctuate certain words as the pain racked his body.

The man who came to kill Naruto only looked around, trying to find the mysterious watcher. He had never seen anyone else watching the boy, except sometimes at nights when one of the Sannin, or his "family" would watch over him. This name he shouted caused him to falter in his actions for only just a few seconds.

"Nice bluff kid, but no one will be here to save you. By the time they do find you, all that will remain is a charred body. The technique I used is more then enough to keep you still while I handle my business," growled out the man as he figured out the "bluff" being done by Naruto. He could only scowl as Naruto started to cough in between what could only be called strained laughs.

"Then give me the honor of knowing the name of the man who would kill me. At least then I know who to come back and haunt once I die," Naruto could only laugh as he heard the snarl come from the man just out of his sight.

"Ah, to think you would believe I would hold those same beliefs. I will humor you though boy, you have turned this mission into one of the hardest I've had for some time. My name is Hakai, and I will be delivering you to your maker," spoke the Kumo Jonin as he removed his massive lightning bolt shaped sword from his back.

"_**NOW,"**_ screamed Hikari as she had finally healed his injuries enough to move.

* * *

Fortunately for Naruto, the toad watching him at that time was indeed Gamakichi, and not one of his brothers. The small orange toad had seen what happened to Naruto, and could hear the pain in his desperate shout for help. Hearing the normally confident boy in such pain and seeing it, he didn't have to be asked twice to go get Tsunade for help. All that was left to do was track down the chakra signature and smell that matched hers, and get help as soon as possible.

'_Why did I have to have such small legs? This is going to take too long. I hope along the way I come across someone who can help me,'_ thought the small toad as he berated himself for his small stature.

Hopping through the forest, and down into the city proper, he wasn't sure how much time he had wasted in getting help. One thing he knew for sure was that Naruto was fighting for his life against the man. Being summoned so many times by the young vessel, he had become attuned to the boy's chakra, and could feel the fluctuation of Naruto's chakra. He had to hurry before things got out of hand, and Naruto was seriously injured.

As he was nearing the outskirts of the village, he came across the Inuzuka home, and could hear the barks of the dogs being housed in the kennels. He allowed himself a smile as he started to think of a way to get to Tsunade faster. As he made his way towards the fences that kept the dogs separated from the rest of Konoha, he came across a rather imposing sight; at least for a creature his size, a massive black and white wolf like dog with an eye patch on his right eye.

"What do we have here? It isn't often that a scion of Gamabunta graces us Inu with their presence. I can only assume you are here for business, and not some lowly prank," growled Kuromaru as he towered over the now quaking Toad. He watched as the small orange toad suddenly stopped shaking and looked him in the eye with a dead serious look on his face.

"Hell yes, I need you to help me find Tsunade-sama so she can help save Naruto-Nii-san! If we don't hurry he could be killed by a Kumo Jonin! So either help me, or be ready to feel the wrath of my dad should he die," screeched Gamakichi as he hopped back and forth from one webbed foot to the either, waving his forelegs around in the air.

This caught Kuromaru's attention, and caused him to wonder about why the Boss of the Toads and Frogs would have an interest in the Kyubi container. However, instead of standing there and questioning the toad, he picked him up by his small shirt, and tossed him on his back.

"Hold on tight, I'll find her quick enough, then you can explain why the Toad Boss has an interest in the boy to me and Tsunade-hime," yelled Kuromaru as he jumped forward, and started to follow the scent of slugs.

"I'll explain what my pops says I can, but nothing more. Don't let anything stand in your way, get to her as fast as you can no matter what," hollered Gamakichi as he grabbed a handful of hair in his webbed hands.

Together the duo raced down the streets, and over rooftops earning many surprised gasps of astonishment, and squeals of laughter from children and adults alike. Slowly the two started to head towards the Hyuga compound, where Gamakichi could sense her chakra, and Kuromaru could smell her unique scent coming from. As the two neared the building, they could hear the voice of someone calling Kuromaru from behind.

Quickly turning around, the wizened old dog could see his partner, Tsume, running to catch up with him. Even when she was beside him, he did not stop, and continued on his path to the Hyuga compound, earning him a confused look from his friend.

"Don't stop at the walls, jump over and keep following her scent! She has Shizune and Ibiki with her I think, and Hinata-nee-chan seems to be with them. This might be bad but it can't be helped," yelled Gamakichi, earning him another confused look from Tsume. Kuromaru only nodded his head as he cleared the wall of the compound easily, and started down the halls with the shouts of several Hyuga guards following them.

* * *

The atmosphere inside of the sealed room was tense as Hinata finished her story. She couldn't look Tsunade in the face, nor could she meet the eyes of anyone else in the room. She could only sit there crying silently as she let them absorb what she had to tell them.

Tsunade herself was grinding her teeth, and squeezing the able in front of her, causing it to crack and groan in protest. She could hardly believe the story she was just told, and yet she would hardly put it past the older members of the Hyuga Council. They never seemed like the understanding type that should be on every council created.

Shizune was in a similar situation, but not from the political view of the situation. She was having a hard time understanding how two people could be torn apart so easily. Two people who seemed to be perfect together, and inspired the other to do better. Two people who obviously cared deeply for the other, and yet too afraid to say so; She could never understand how people like the Elders could deny Hinata the sunshine that she and Naruto deserved.

Ibiki was fuming silently, and trying his best to not storm out of the room, and impale the first Elder on the tip of a kunai. The only thing possibly keeping him from doing that was the death grip Shizune had on his hand and the knowledge that he couldn't kill them all before he was taken down.

Hiashi was going through a kaleidoscope of emotions as he absorbed what Hinata had just said. Anger, rage, sadness, and helplessness were among the more prominent of the emotions playing through his mind at that moment. To think that they would put his daughter through the same trials and tribulations he was placed in, all because they did not see her as a proper heir to the clan. They would deny his daughter a chance at happiness, all because of her choice in dedication and training. It was all because the fools on the council could not see the jump in her abilities from when she started to train with Naruto and Tsunade. What hurt him most of all was that he never noticed any of this taking place.

'_It is because of me… I let them oversee her training for the summer, and they used that to their advantage to strip her happiness away. They used that as their chance to set their own plans into motion, plans that I had suspected being laid for some time now. To destroy those plans will require something equally as shocking, and destructive… Perhaps allowing Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Ibiki get their hands on them will be enough,'_ thought Hiashi as he finally absorbed all the details his daughter had told him. He was brought out of his thoughts as the table in front of him snapped in half, and a very pissed Tsunade.

"Hiashi, I won't pretend that this never happened. If I come across one of the Elders of this clan, I will ensure he or she is never able to reproduce, or breathe again; consequences be damned. Now I would like to know how much of this you will be able to fix, and how much I will have to handle myself."

"To be honest, I have known that they have thought of doing this, but they held back when she started to improve, and then the whispers of it stopped some years ago. The fact they waited for me to leave for the summer only shows how much preparation has been put into this plan. They know I would never have allowed the terms they placed on Hinata; given her improvements since I've allowed her to be friends openly with Naruto.

"I would never force my daughter into an arranged marriage, not after seeing how close she has become to Naruto. I would never have allowed any such thing happen with anyone from the Land of Water, unless I had met them myself and they proved themselves worthy. As you may know, I was nearly placed in such a marriage during the war, but thankfully my father denied it, knowing of Hitome's feelings for me at the time. Be they the son of a Daimyo, or the Mizukage, I would not force this on Hinata so early unless there was no other choice, and she held no interest in anyone in her own home village.

"What angers me the most is how they would force her to act the way she has. Using her love for her family against her and threatening to place the seal on Hanabi or activate it on Neji on a whim will not be tolerated. I have suspected they had some shady dealings in the past, starting with the death of my wife, and the events that followed. This however confirms that there is a faction in the Hyuga clan who wishes harm to us, and to Konoha. They will be sought out, and dealt with the only way such crimes should be handled. That would be of course after Ibiki had a talk with them, as well as anyone else who wishes to question their actions," stated Hiashi grimly as his face took on a more natural appearance, a scowl.

No one said anything for several minutes, each of them digesting everything, and in Hinata's case, feeling slightly happy that she no longer had to hide anything from those she cared for.

"I suppose that the only way to break this arranged marriage is for someone of greater or equal stature here in Konoha, correct," questioned Tsunade as her minded started to work through the scenarios.

"Hai, though there are few that could equal the rank of the Mizukage's son here in Konoha, and I would be willing to give her hand to. To make matters worst, the Mizukage is also the son of the current Daimyo of the Land of Water. To deny this could start a war with their nation. The only person here in Konoha that I know of would be the Uchiha, or possibly Hokage-sama's grandson, which I would never allow," answered Hiashi as he looked Tsunade straight in the eyes.

'_Tsunade-hime, you devilish woman; There could only be one person you are thinking of to fix this situation, and it would only make both of them immensely happy,'_ thought Ibiki. Before he could think any more on the subject, or before anything else could be said, a commotion could be hear in the halls, and a loud banging could be heard on the doors of the meeting room. Accompanying these was the high pitched voice of something small and frantic.

"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAN, Naruto-Nii-san needs your help! Hurry and open the door before these crazy white eyed people killed us," screeched Gamakichi as Kuromaru started to bite at the guards trying to restrain him. Tsume was trying to fight her way through the throng of guards to get to her loyal friend, but was not able to reach them under the current circumstances.

Everyone in the room looked at Tsunade, who had a dumbfounded look on her face. That look was quickly replaced with her full blown anger as she charged the door, and ripped it from the wall.

"CALL ME OLD AGAIN, AND I'LL LET ONE OF MY SLUGS MELT YOUR UNGRATEFUL HIDE," shouted Tsunade as she stormed outside of the room. Her anger was quickly quenched as she saw the strange sight of a small orange and black toad dressed in a blue shirt riding atop of a black and white wolf.

To add to her confusion, the halls were filled with Hyuga Branch members, several of which seemed to be bleeding from bite or claw wounds from the animal in front of her. Behind the gathered Hyuga's was a wild looking woman who could only be the head of the Inuzuka clan.

"What the hell is going on here," roared Hiashi and Tsunade together. All fighting stopped when the voices roared at the gathered people. All eyes focused on the two who caused the commotion.

"Baa-Chan, Nii-san needs your help! A Kumo Jonin is attacking him, and wants to kill him," yelled out Gamakichi as he jumped at Tsunade.

"Quit calling me that you half-pint toad! Slow down and tell me everything from the beginning," ordered Tsunade as she caught the toad half way.

"Naruto-Nii-san was thinking up on the Monument, and then he was attacked by a Kumo Jonin who wants to kill him! When I left he was on the ground from a surprise attack, and could hardly holler for me to get you. He wants you to get up there with any help you can get on the way. He is fighting like crazy right now, but his chakra is depleting fast, and he is still injured from the first lightning bolt that hit him," ranted the oldest son of Gamabunta in Tsunade's hands, and pointing in the general direction of the fight.

"Why would a Kumo-nin want to kill Naruto? Just how the hell do you know Naruto," questioned Tsunade as she nodded to Shizune and Ibiki to leave ahead of her.

"Ask questions later, HELP NII-SAN NOW," screeched the Toad again as he jumped from her hands, and onto Kuromaru once again. "Take me to the Monument fast," and without asking any questions, the wolf-dog did just that, wanting to get to the bottom of the drama playing out. Right on his heels was Tsume, followed closely by Tsunade, Hiashi, and any Hyuga within hearing range.

None of them noticed one person that had left long before they ever did, tears running down her face. Fear was evident as well, but it would seem as if it was for someone other then herself once again.

* * *

Once Naruto dodged the initial attack, he quickly moved to the trees, and tried to concentrate on activating the **Kitsune Genkaku** to buy him some time to remove his other weights, and heal. As he ran to the tree line, he was constantly dodging bolts of lightning being sent at him, and causing all of his hair to stand on end.

Once into the forest, and behind a tree, he was able to focus enough to vanish from plain sight. He quickly moved from his location, and moved to another tree as a bolt of lightning struck were he was once standing.

Feeling relatively safe, he quickly removed the Chakra weights, and tried to apply what little healing power he could muster. All the while he was stretching his sense to find his attacker, and be ready to move should he attack again.

It had been nearly tens minutes since he had screamed for Gamakichi to run, and he wasn't sure if the toad watching him was the little orange toad after his heart as a sibling. He could only hope one of his normal toads were watching him at the time, and would be able to find Tsunade before things got worst.

"_**Most of the serious internal damage is healed. The blistered skin and burns outside are not anything to worry about right now. Focus on staying alive, and we can handle them later. This man is crazed, and will stop at nothing to see us both dead, so stay on your toes and use everything you can to stay alive,"**_ direct Hikari as she finished healing the last major injury.

Naruto was about to respond when he saw the clouds gathering above the section of forest where he was hiding. The sky started to darken as bolts of lightning started to arc through the clouds, causing Naruto to wonder just how save he would be surrounded by nothing but trees waiting to be turned into kindling.

'_Alright, now that I can fight, what can I do to stall besides hide? No to mention the sudden change in weather, those clouds look like thunderheads… Wait, why does the air seem different all of a sudden,'_ as Naruto was planning, the clouds above him continued to darken, and gather. Slowly, the hairs on Naruto's arms started to rise towards the sky as a large amount of static electricity started to build up.

" _**Raiton: Denkou Kyouran**_ (Lightning Frenzy)," echoed through the woodlands as bolts of lightning started to crash down into the trees, destroying them on impact, and sending the debris flying around. Other trees were impaled by splinters and branches, and at the same time the brush, and dead limbs started to catch fire.

As the bolts of deadly energy crashed down to earth, Naruto jumped from tree to tree, all in hopes of avoiding being struck once again by the forces of nature. At the same time he tried to distance himself from the roaring flames that started to spark up in the dry underbrush.

'_Okay, didn't think he would have an area destruction jutsu like that. I can't keep away from these stupid things forever, and staying in one place is just stupid,'_ thought Naruto as he tried to dance around, and plain avoid the deadly bolts.

"_**Try using the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, it may provide you with enough cover to get out from underneath the clouds, or to some place safe, like a cave,"**_ added Hikari as the number of bolts crashing down multiplied.

"**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,"** shouted Naruto as the woods were flooded with clones of the blonde. As soon as they popped into existence, hundreds vanished when struck by lightning, debris, or a deadly sword that was arcing through the trees in pursuit of the blonde.

"No use hiding in your little Genjutsu boy. I can feel the electrical field being given off by your body. Even with my lightning striking, you can never hide from me," shouted Hakai as he started towards where Naruto was standing.

'_Kuso, this is not going to be easy… Ok, time to try and even the playing field out. This should at least buy me some more time to think up a defensive plan."_

Naruto continued to run from the deadly Kumo-nin, the entire time looking behind him and towards the sky above him as he sought to get out form beneath the death trap that was conjured up. Thinking back to the last hard opponent he fought for his life against, he quickly conjured up a new favorite technique of his.

"**Kiri Gakure no Jutsu**," whispered Naruto as his chakra infused with the air, drawing on all the moisture to create a dense, thick fog. At the same time the fires in the area died down slightly as the thick fog bank rolled in, concealing everything more then two feet from in front of Naruto, and the pursuing Hakai to vanish in the mist.

"Nice try, but this is only going to delay your death boy. I can still pick out where you are," shouted the crazed Kumo-nin again. _'Damn brat, this mist is throwing off the electrical field, not by much, but enough to cause some slight problems,'_ thought the man as he went to where he believed the boy to be.

Cleaving the tree in two, he found nothing but air in front of him as he released a feral growl from deep within his throat. By this time the lightning strikes had ceased, and left nothing but a smoldering, and ruined section of Konoha forest behind. Flames still flickered in the sky, drawing the attention of the village below as the fires started to build up once again. The thunderheads were still very much above the man, and slowly shifted to follow in his wake as he pursued Naruto through the forest.

"_Nee-chan, that fire is going to start back up soon… Even with the mist the forest and underbrush is still too dry for the winter season. If they aren't dealt with soon, it could cause a massive forest fire.'_

"_**The fire should also draw the attention of the village though, and hopefully help will arrive before they get too serious."**_

Naruto nodded, and started to run through the trees again, this time heading to a near by cave as he sought sanctuary from any attack the man might have. Once there he started to strip out burnt shirt, and started to tear it into strips of cloth; to bandage his legs, and torso from the blisters caused earlier. In doing this, he left his chest bare, and his arms exposed to the cool air, with the small exception of the bracers he wore on his forearms.

"Alright, minor injuries taken care of, now time to get down to business," and with that, Naruto reached into his hip pouch, and pulled out a scroll that was used to store items. "Let's see how this bastard likes the Uzumaki Naruto Chakra Special," mumbled Naruto as several fist sized metal balls appeared on the floor of the cave. Along with these were several of his flash bangs, and frag grenades.

Pulling his goggles from his pouch, over his head, and over his eyes, he set a determined look on his face as he raced out to set up his traps for his guest and stalker.

* * *

Indeed, all around Konoha, civilians and Shinobi alike were looking at the forest fire as it sprung to life. Others gathered to watch to freak lightning storm that started back behind the monument. More were mystified by the dense fog that started to mix and mingle with the smoke from the forest fire. One thing was known by many of the Shinobi of Konoha. This was no accident, but a case of high powered techniques being used.

That was one of the reasons that a certain silver haired man called a stop to what he was doing.

"Sasuke lets call it a day, I think I left my stove on, and I need to hurry home and turn it off before it burns my apartment down," stated the man as he started to walk away. The person behind him only scowled at the half-assed excuse. He could tell the man was going to check out the strange explosions, and the surges of chakra.

"HN, what ever; I have better things to do then hear your lame excuses," bit out the Uchiha as he turned around and left towards his home for a light lunch.

'_I wonder though, who could be causing so much trouble behind the monument? From what I can tell there is some high level Raiton Jutsu being used, and I am sorely lacking in that department… Hopefully I can get there before the show is over,'_ thought Kakashi as he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

In a clearly full of craters, another Jonin stopped his instructions, and looked towards the horizon. He ignored his shorter counterpart as his face set into a scowl at the chakra being expended in the mountain range.

"Gai-Sensei, I have finished the first step of the Lotus! Please Sensei, you must teach me more. If I can not do what you show me, I will run around Konoha on one leg five hundred times. If I can not do that, then I will climb the monument with only my teeth one hundred times," yelled out a boy with black haired cut like a bowl, and large living eyebrows. Like his god, he wore a skin tight green spandex that left little to the imagination for those unfortunate enough to meet them.

"Lee, Neji, and Tenten, training is over for the day. I want you all to head home and rest. We will meet back here tomorrow at the same time," ordered the _Konoha no Kedakai Aoi Mōjū_, ("Konoha's Noble Green Beast"), also known as Maito Gai.

His ordered shocked his Genin team, as it lacked the normal enthusiasm, and loud voice. Instead of his normal voice, it was one that left no room for arguing. For once in their life, they saw their Sensei serious about something other then their training.

Slowly, and almost mechanically, Neji nodded his head as he backed away from his Sensei's odd behavior. Lee also started to back away, with adoration in his eyes, and a small waterfall of tears starting to form. Before he could open his mouth to say anything though, a kunai landed in front of him, curtsey of the fairer member of the team. Seeing the look in her eye, he only nodded and left in a trail of smoke.

Tenten stood in the clearing, looking at what her sensei was mesmerized by. She knew the area all to well, as Naruto had told her several times in the past that he went there to clear his head.

"Gai-sensei, what is going on," asked the brown eyed girl, fear starting to pool in her stomach. Having been around Naruto for so long, she was nearly attuned to his chakra. She may not have felt the surge a year ago, but being closer this time, she could feel his chakra, and it disturbed her that it was dropping as quickly as it was.

"Tenten, don't worry, everything will be fine," firmly stated Gai as he prepared to jump towards the monument. Before he left, he could hear the girl mumble something akin to "Otouto". Knowing of only one person she called that, he left he a blast of dirt, rocketing towards the monument.

Seeing her Sensei take off like that only made her steel her resolve.

'_Otouto, I may not have been able to help you in the past, but I'll be damned if I don't try to help you this time,'_ shouted Tenten mentally, as images of a beaten, cut, and bruised Naruto flashed through her mind. Out of all his friends, she may have been the one who knew him best. She was also the only one who was privy to what he kept hidden under the long sleeved shirts, jackets, and long thick pants. More importantly, she may have been the only one to ever come across him when the villagers were tormenting him.

* * *

Two generations of Ino-Shika-Cho were gathered around on an _extremely_ large picnic blanket. Among them were several baskets, and a number of larger ones were situated in front of the male members of the Akimichi family.

The group was talking amongst themselves until the lightning started striking the monument, and smoke started to dance in the cold December air. Each generation sat there, looking at the sky above the trees surrounding them.

The older generation looked to the sky, praying that there was no eagle or flacon winging across it. Relieved that they saw none, they knew that the village was not being invaded. It still did little to ease their worries.

"I think we need to cut this short, kids you help your mothers get home with everything," shouted Inoichi as he jumped to his feet, shortly followed by Choza and Shikaku. Without sparing another word, the three Jonin took to the trees, and started their way towards the monument.

While the wives were cleaning up, the younger generation of Ino-Shika-Cho was gathered, and talking in hushed whispers out of ear shot from their parents.

"Ino, isn't that where you saw Naruto once? You know, when you were practicing the **Shintenshin no Jutsu** (Mind Body Switch Technique)," asked Choji as he started to reach for the hammer across his back. As his hand came to rest on it, he visibly calmed, as he gazed up at the smoke and lightning.

"Yeah… He goes there a lot now," answered Ino, with a hint of fear in her voice. Behind her and Ino, Shikamaru stood watching the clouds, not liking how they seemed to become darker with each passing minute. Several of the clouds were now an eerie red from the pent up energy within them.

"If Naruto is in the middle of this, it could only mean trouble. Well, I suppose we wouldn't be good friends if we weren't there in a time of need," mumbled Shikamaru as he jumped over his friends, and followed the path their fathers left on. Glancing at each other, Choji and Ino nodded in agreement, and followed Shikamaru; never looking back.

* * *

"Come on, we are almost there! Nii-san should be where all that smoke is coming from… I hope Nii-san is alright, he really hates fires," shouted Gamakichi, and mumbled the last few words under his breath.

"Don't worry, we have an army behind us, and with all that lightning striking, and the fires blazing, half the Shinobi will be converging on the monument," growled out Kuromaru as he rolled his eyes at the toad's antics.

"That's the problem! If the wrong people get to Nii-san first, they might help the guy," shouted Gamakichi into the ear of the black dog. Hearing those words only caused those within hearing range to double their pace, knowing that the young toad was speaking nothing but the truth.

"Tsunade-hime, I take it you know what is going on," asked Jiraiya as he settled in beside Tsunade and Hiashi. The Sandaime appeared in front of them, and slightly trailing Kuromaru and Gamakichi in full battle attire, and a scowl on his face.

"Yes, Gamakichi says that Naruto is under attack by a Kumo Jonin," answered Tsunade as she quickly threw her green coat off, and started to pour more chakra into the lower half of her body. Not wanting to be left behind, the two beside her matched her pace.

"Gamakichi, I don't remember summoning him. What in the world is he doing here, and how does he know about the brat," asked Jiraiya. Instead of an answer though, he only got dead silence as everyone settled in for what may be coming in the next few minutes.

* * *

Naruto had already finished all of his traps, and could hear them going off in the area around his base of operations. His bigger surprises had yet to be trigger, but when they were, he would be the first to know.

He reached out with all of his senses, hoping to detect when and where the man would attack. With the smoke wafting into the area, it was starting to become hard to smell the man. He was about to move to another location when he heard the bushes to his right moving, and quickly spun around to deliver a hard kick into the bushes.

As his foot hit the target, a surge of electricity coursed through his body once again, as a figure stood from the bushes, with Naruto's foot in his hand. Blue arcs of electricity was racing from the man's hands to Naruto's foot and flowing up through his body.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto channeled a small amount of chakra down into the heel of his feet. As the chakra made it there, a barely audible _click_ could be heard coming from both feet. As soon as Naruto heard the sound, he jumped up, and spun his body around, lashing out at the man with his left foot, and the knife blade sticking out the front of the sandal. The man didn't have a chance to dodge the blade as it sliced across his face.

The cut started below his left eye, and continued across the bridge of his nose, and below his right eyes. The sudden pain caused the man to release his grip on Naruto's foot, and place a hand on the new wound. Naruto was about to grin in success until the man removed his hand from the wound, and ran his tongue across the top of his lips, tasting his own blood.

"Very surprising, who would have thought you could fight through my **Seiteki Tate** (Static Shield). I must say you are impressive, and it looks like you have seen your own share of combat by those scars on your body."

Naruto stood there, holding the leg that the man held moments ago, trying to get feeling back into the appendage. He could only watch and hobble backwards as the man started towards him once again, this time his fingers glowing as arcs of lightning jumped between the fingers. When the man was just over five feet away from him, Naruto stopped and smiled up to the scowling face of his attacker.

"It looks like you are within range. I give you the honor of testing out one of my newest devices; my Chakra Bomb. Let me know what you think when and if you live through it," stated Naruto as he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Hakai then started to look around the clearing for any sign of the boy, but saw no trace of him, nor could he feel him near by. His vision started to distort as the trees and shrubs changed into a small cave; the walls were lined with explosive seals, and other items that could only be bombs. At the front of the cave was a single orb blocking the only way in and out of the cave, and gave off eerie silver light.

"I hope you like the scenery, I may have slacked off on some things, but my **Kitsune Genkaku **has developed enough for a simple Genjutsu like this," laughed Naruto was his voice echoed down the tunnel. Before the man could do anything else, the orb started to glow a silver-blue light before it exploded.

Naruto watched from a tree a hundred feet away as his chakra bomb went off, and at the same time causing all of his other explosives to go off in a series of blasts. Finally the ground erupted into the sky, sending rocks and dirt over the forest canopy, and smoke flying hundreds of feet into the sky.

'_Think that took care of the guy Nee-chan?'_

"_**I wish it could have. If this man is the one we sensed following Hinata-chan around some time ago, then he will be a deadly opponent. It is unlikely that he would be dealt with so easily,"**_ as if he was confirming her assumptions, the area around Naruto was blasted by bolts of lightning, sending him flying.

As he was flying, a foot connected with his chest, reversing his direction. Wind the wind knocked out of him, he could do little to block the follow up slash of the sword. As the sword sliced across his chest, the wound was instantly cauterized as electricity once again made its way into Naruto. It was only after that brutal attack that Naruto flew through several trees, and finally came to a rest slumped up against a boulder.

The cut form of Hakai jumped into view. His clothes were torn, and his vest barely hung around his shoulders. He had several burns and lacerations across the exposed portions of his torso, legs, and arms. His hair was even smoking from the inferno he just escaped.

"I'll give you credit for that trap brat, but you have tried my patience long enough. You've drawn more then enough attention to our little fight, more then I would have wished. So pardon me if I quit playing around," growled the man as his hands flashed through several hand seals too fast for Naruto to see. As he went through the complex set of seals, lightning starting dancing around him, striking trees, rocks, and even Naruto himself.

'_That amount of chakra… What ever he is doing is going to be a major pain if it hits.'_

"_**Run, run like you have never run before,"**_ added Hikari, not liking the level of chakra being placed into the jutsu.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though I did do some skipping around, time wise and scene wise. I know I promised to have the graduation this chap to some people, but I wanted to try and work in something else. The aftermath of the conclusion of the battle will be next chapter, which shouldn't take me months to do. With it, there will be graduation, and team placements.

I know a few of you may be concerned about the change in Naruto's strength, and I have a reason for it. Most anyone who does physical workouts knows that there is a right way and a wrong way to go about them. Doing things the wrong way will not help you, or improve you in any way. If anything, it will only cause more harm then good to you. With Naruto's change in mind set, and anger pushing him, he lost focus on his activities, and ignored proper form for his techniques. This stunts his growth, and lets others catch up to him when they practice the right way.

I hope you liked the techniques I created, and I hope I did a decent job describing them for you. Since we have never seen many Lightning based techniques, I was forced to come up with a large number of them. From there I just picked which ones I liked the most, and placed them in.

As you can tell, I've tried to give you an idea of the Taijutsu style being taught to Naruto by Hikari (Kyubi). I'm not proficient in martial arts or anything. I only know what I read on sites, and see in shows. So I hope you will understand that I may not be able to give a better description of it at the moment.

The weapons for Shikamaru and Hinata will also be shown in the next chapter, since I have avoided mentioning them for the last few chapters. Also, this chapter marks the first of many of Naruto's nice little art projects, or so Deidra would call them that.

* * *

**Jutsu**

**Raiton: Raikou Dageki** (Lightning Release: Lightning Strike): A simple bolt of lightning is called down from the sky, or sent from the user's body toward the target. It is a basic technique used by many of the Shinobi from the Land of Lightning, and Kumogakure no Saito.

_**Raiton: Denkou Kyouran**_ (Lightning Frenzy): An extremely deadly technique that allows the user to manipulate the clouds, gathering them to release tremendous amounts of lightning bolts down into the area below the clouds. The technique was designed after the Thunder Plains that surround the village of Kumogakure, where nothing lives, and everything fears being struck by supercharged bolts of lightning.

**Shintenshin no Jutsu** (Mind Body Switch Technique): This jutsu allows the user to send their mind into a target's body (even an animal's), supplanting the target's mind with their own. Though normally used as a spying jutsu, it can also be used in battle with several major drawbacks. First, the user's spirit travels slowly, making it easy to dodge. If the user misses their target, they are left helpless until their spirit returns to their body, which takes several minutes. Second, even if the technique does work, the user's ability to stay in an enemy's body is determined by how fatigued they are.

**Seiteki Tate** (Static Shield): This technique amplifies the body's electrical charge, generating static electricity. When the user of the technique is attacked, the attacker is shocked by a strong static charge built up around the user. Depending on the purpose, the shock can be enough to cause immense pain, or just mild discomfort. Since it amplifies the body's own bio energy, it is dangerous to use to great lengths of time, unless the user wishes to destroy their own central nervous system.

**Chakra Bomb/Reservoir: **A device made by Uzumaki Naruto that serves two purposes. The object is above the size of a fist, and made out of chakra absorbing metal, and forged into a ball shape. The center of the device is left hollow, and acts as a storage space for what is channeled into it. When the user wishes, they can channel chakra into the ball, and it would be stored in the center until needed. As chakra is stored, it could also be drawn out should the user be short on Chakra. These acts similar to a Soldier Pill, except that only the owner of the chakra stored would be able to draw it out. If anyone else were to attempt to draw the chakra it, they could suffer severe damage to their chakra coils.

The second purpose of this device is to act as a bomb. This is done by filling the device up completing, and then sending one final surge of chakra that would cause the weapon to self destruct. When it explodes, it acts like the fragmentation grenade, but also has a chance of damaging anything and everyone within the blast radius with chakra. People and objects are subject to severe chakra lacerations, and burns. In some cases, it may enter their chakra system, and rupture parts of the inner coils.


	12. Dissipating Storm Clouds Silver Lining

-1'_Thoughts'_

"**_Demon/Inner Self"_**

'**_Demon thoughts'_**

"**_Gamabunta"_**

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

**A/N:**

I guess I should go ahead and finish this… I'm sure many are eager to see how the fight will end, and what else happens afterwards. By now you should notice that most people are not their normal selves portrayed in the manga and anime, so don't be too surprised with the changes in some characters.

**

* * *

**

Previously

"I'll give you credit for that trap brat, but you have tried my patience long enough. You've drawn more then enough attention to our little fight, more then I would have wished. So pardon me if I quit playing around," growled the man as his hands flashed through several hand seals too fast for Naruto to see. As he went through the complex set of seals, lightning starting dancing around him, striking trees, rocks, and even Naruto himself.

'_That amount of chakra… What ever he is doing is going to be a major pain if it hits.'_

"**_Run, run like you have never run before,"_** added Hikari, not liking the level of chakra being placed into the jutsu.

* * *

**Dissipating Storm Clouds and The Silver Lining**

Naruto didn't need to be told twice, as he scrambled to his feet as fast as possible. It proved difficult with the lightning striking around him, and a few stray bolts and debris striking him. Gritting his teeth, he finally managed to make it into a runner's stance and took off like a shot.

Hakai watched the boy struggle to stand, and laughed like a loon as the boy finally managed to stand, and take off running. To him though, it didn't matter; only a few people had survived his next technique, the Raikage, and her right hand "man". It seemed impossible for any boy to survive such an attack.

"RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE WHAT I AM ABOUT TO DO! RUN LIKE A FRIENGHTENED FOX, AND PREPARE TO DIE," shouted the crazed man as his laughter echoed through the woods.

'_I hate to admit it, but depending on what it is, I may not be able to get out of the blast radius. My speed sucks right now from my injuries."_

'_**Not just your injuries you Baka, if only you listened to me when I told you to stop training, you might have improved more, instead of declined in your performance,' mentally jabbed Hikari, hiding her thoughts from Naruto.**_

"_**There is another way we can survive this. I know I said we should never do this, unless the situation called for it, but I think this one qualifies for that stipulation,"**_ stated Hikari grimly.

'_You can't be serious. By now half the village is on the way here, if they aren't here already. If they see me doing that, then they will freak out,'_ countered Naruto quickly, with fear in his voice.

"_**It is either that, or risk death by risking survival in your current state, and then let him go on his merry way to get Hinata-chan. If you do this though, remember you only have a set amount of time before the change becomes permanent,"**_ retorted Hikari.

'_Damn it Nee-chan that is a low blow. I know she might not care about me right now, but I would never let someone hurt her. I guess I have no choice then; I hope I can end this quickly,'_ said Naruto as he surrendered to her logic. He brought his hands up into the classic sign used for dispelling Genjutsu, and gathering chakra; focusing on it is closed his eyes and gathered the needed amount. When he gathered enough, his eyes snapped open, and he brought the two forefingers of his right hand up to his forehead.

"**Kitsune Yo-jutsu: Kitsune Genkaku Henge: Kai** (Fox Magic: Fox Illusion Transformation: Release)!"

As the words echoed through the forest, the wind started to kick up, bending the trees of Konoha. Fallen leaves started to spin rapidly around the small clearing where Naruto once stood. Many formed their own small tornadoes, and the unlucky leaves embedded themselves into the trees they once belonged to. During the deadly dance, no sign of Naruto could be seen in the eye of the maelstrom.

* * *

Kuromaru stopped suddenly and sent Gamakichi toppling over his head. The small orange amphibian righted himself quickly and looked in the same direction Kuromaru was staring. Both of them had felt the sudden burst of energy, but only one of them knew who it had come from. It was something all animals felt instinctually, and tried to avoid if they felt the slightest hint of malice in. 

Behind them, Tsunade and the rest slowed and stopped behind the two animals, wondering what caused the sudden halt. With them, many of the Hyuga Branch, and Several Main House members stopped, wondering what caused their guides to suddenly halt.

"Gamakichi, what's wrong, there isn't any time to waste, we need to get to Naruto," whispered the Sandaime urgently to the young toad. Next to him, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiashi all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Hokage-sama we might be too late," said the toad as he jumped up onto the shoulders of the wizened old man. "Nii-chan just did something he wouldn't do unless he was between a rock and a hard place. He should just be straight ahead, the spot he was initially attacked at is just to our right, but his power is coming from deep within the forest," added Gamakichi as he seemed to hang his head lower.

"All Hyugas do what you can to contain the fires. If you see someone, do not attack them unless they are from Kumo. Even then, you must be sure to detain, and not slay them; we do not want another incident like we had before. If I find out any of you have attacked Uzumaki Naruto, you will be branded, and exiled from the Hyuga Clan," yelled out Hiashi, having heard Gamakichi's words.

Many of the Hyuga's visibly snapped to, almost as if they had been struck physically. After the initial shock of their orders, each of them went about searching for the inferno inside of the forest. It was only after they left that the Hokage lead Tsume, Hiashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kuromaru into the woods in the direction Gamakichi indicated.

Along the way they could see the flames eating away at the forest, and watched as many of the Main House Members performed the **Hakke Kusho **(Eight Trigrams Empty Palm) to suck the life giving oxygen from the flames in their path. Others were performing what ever water techniques they knew, and many others were doing what they could to smother or douse the flames with what ever was on hand. As they continued past, the Hokage turned to Tsume, and Kuromaru.

"Tsume, I want you and Kuromaru to stay here, and level any and all trees that are thirty feet in front of and behind the flames. This should help to keep it from spreading any further then it already has. As more Shinobi show up, have them do the same. I leave this job in your capable hand, please be careful," ordered the Sandaime as he continued on. The two partners only spared a quick glance at each other before nodding, and running to do their job.

"You know Tsume, I'm glad he told me to stay here and help you," claimed Kuromaru, as he ran beside his partner.

"Don't tell me you are getting soft on me you old fleabag," answered Tsume as she smiled, revealing her canines.

"No, you got it all wrong Tsume. I'm glad because I was scarred to death of the Youki I felt being released. It felt so familiar, and yet different. Who ever released it was the same person who confronted Mizuki at the Academy last year," answered the wild dog as he jumped ahead of his stupefied friend.

**

* * *

**

A young girl with dark indigo colored hair was moving as swiftly as she could through the tree tops. The girl's eyes were ablaze in anger as she continued leaping from branch to branch, thinking of the one fighting for his life somewhere deep in the woods.

The girl had not bothered collecting her sandals, and only stopped long enough before fleeing her home to gather her weapons. This would be one of the first times she was able to test out the weapon Tenten selected for her in combat, and she was glad it would be to help protect the one she cared for the most.

She knew her father and other members of her clan wouldn't be far behind. If they knew she had left ahead of them, and towards all of the trouble, they would probably skin her alive, and make an arranged marriage the least of her problems. However, it didn't matter to her; this was her chance to prove her strength to her family, friends, and Naruto.

Hinata paused briefly in her search to adjust the strap across her shoulders, and reposition the small bundle on her back. Sighing, she activated her Byakugan once again, and looked around for any sign of her target.

"Naruto-kun, where could you be in this mess? I'm past the fire and most of the smoke, but I can hardly see through this mist now without by Byakugan. I know you are out there, just hold on a little longer, and I will be there to help you," stated Hinata firmly as she started on her way through the trees once again.

She had been traveling for another ten minutes before she caught sight of something on the outskirts of her Byakugan range. She couldn't make it out, but it seemed humanlike in shape, and there were four of them, moving in the general direction she was heading in. One of the shapes was just trailing the other three, and seemed to be slowly catching up to them.

As she focused, she could start to see the shapes become more defined, and what she saw brought a smile to her lips.

'_I knew I wouldn't be the only one worry about Naruto-kun.'_

**

* * *

**

Shikamaru was leading the way into the forest; with Ino trailing him, and Choji bringing up the rear. They had already passed what seemed to be a fire line, which consisted mostly of several Hyuga Main House members, and a handful of the Branch Members. He was thankful that they were too busy with the fire to notice them running past them.

"Shika, what do you think is going on," questioned Ino as she bounced from tree to tree.

"I'm not sure, but that lightning we saw minutes ago was no normal. It was created by a jutsu of some kind, and I only know of one place that creates Raiton techniques like that," answered Shikamaru as he kept looking ahead of them, and when he could, towards the darkening sky.

"You think Kumo would come all the way to Konoha? If they did though, wouldn't they be going after a Hyuga or something," questioned Choji ad he swung the hammer off his back, and into his large hands. In front of him, Ino was unwinding her whip from around her waist, and holding it coiled in her hands.

"If you think about it, since Hinata started hanging around Naruto, there has been less of a chance to do what they wanted years ago. With Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama teaching us as well, the chances of grabbing Hinata are slim to none. Hinata's sister is kept in the compound majority of the time, and only leaves with her father, or a well armed guard. Taking Naruto out would leave room for an attack on Hinata, even if they don't hang around each other as much any more. Who ever it is attacking is probably going after Naruto for some reason or another, and from the sudden change in weather, it could only be a high ranked Kumo-Nin," summed up Shikamaru.

"How is that possible though? To get where they are, the Kumo-nin would have to go through Konoha," asked Ino with a hint of panic and fear in her voice.

"That should show how skilled the guy is. It also means we can't second guess ourselves, or this guy. We go into this knowing we can die, and knowing that if we don't help Naruto, he could die as well. It's like Hokage-sama has always said, "a tree is only as strong as the roots that support it, and the leaves that grow from it"," stated Shikamaru grimly. He didn't need to look back to know that Ino and Choji were nodding their heads in agreement with the statement.

By this time he could feel the presence of someone coming up from behind him and his team. Looking back to Choji and Ino, he could tell they felt the presence as well. With a few quick motions of his hand, the three dove down to the foliage of the forest floor and concealed themselves to await their pursuer.

**

* * *

**

'_Damn them, why did they have to hide all of a sudden,'_ growled out Konoha's newest weapon's mistress as she stopped where the Ino-Shika-Cho group had just vanished. As she looked around she couldn't help but be pissed that she couldn't find them, and cursed Naruto for showing them how to hide so well.

"Listen here you punks, unless you want me to say some _very_ embarrassing things, you better get out here right now," shouted the chocolate bun haired girl; not caring who may have overheard her.

Almost as soon as she finished, Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru quickly scrambled out of the brush, and made their way to her in the canopy of the forest. Ino was blushing, and Choji seemed to have a healthy blush of his own as he scratched the back of his head. Shikamaru was mumbling, but quickly stopped noticing the death glares being sent by Ino and Tenten.

"I suppose we are all here for the same thing," stated Tenten, rather then asking. The other three only nodded their heads in confirmation before turning to look in the direction they had been going.

Just as Ino was about to speak up, they all dropped down into their respective stances, weapons of choice at the ready, as they heard a twig snap nearby. After several tense seconds ticked away, the shape of the culprit could be seen walking towards them, with a small smile on her face.

"Geez Hinata, are you trying to give us a heart attack or something? Don't scare us like that again," moaned Ino as she held a hand over her heart, trying to pretend she wasn't afraid. Anyone who knew the girl could tell she was feigning fright.

"I'm sorry Ino; I just wanted to meet up with all of you. Then perhaps we can go after Naruto-kun together," whispered the heiress with her eyes cast at the ground.

Her four friends could hear the pain and sadness that her voice carried. On some level, each of them felt like questioning her compassion for their blond friend. On another level though, just hearing her say "Naruto-Kun" again erased all doubt of her ill feelings towards their whisker marked friend.

"Well, we can't hang around here forever now can we? We have a friend to go help out, and since there seem to be a number of Hyuga, I'm sure you can fill us in on the way Hinata," declared Tenten as she took charge of the situation after several tense minutes were wasted looking at each other's feet. The dark haired girl snapped her head up and nodded her head quickly before taking the point, and leading the way to where she felt two massive chakra surges.

It was as they started on their way that the wind picked up and nearly sent each of them careening off their respective branches. Each tried to catch themselves with Chakra on their feet, or wrap their arms around the trunks and branches of trees. With dirt and debris flying in the air, the only thing that could clearly be seen was the clouds spinning down towards the forest floor about two miles away from them.

Out of the five gathered, only one could see what caused the sudden burst. With her Byakugan activated, Hinata could see the sudden burst of silver, green, and crimson chakra. It was nearly blinding for her, with the chakra trails evident in the wind flying by them.

'_Naruto-kun where are you?'_

**

* * *

**

His technique was started, and was already building up in the sky above. From where he was he could already see the clouds starting to glow from the energy being stored up. Now all that was left was to find his target.

The boy was injured, and couldn't have gotten far, and should pose little threat to a battle hardened Jonin. He was a Jonin who served under the Sandaime Raikage, and seeker of the Byakugan. The man who taught him everything he knew, and then gave him the mission of retrieving the Byakugan where his brother had failed.

He remembered the recall scrolls sent to him by the Yondaime Raikage, but ignored them in honor of the Sandaime. He would complete this mission, the final mission ever given by the Sandaime. Now all that stood in his way and immortality with the followers of the Sandaime was a single boy; a boy who would fall to him very soon.

The man with the lightning sword was nearly to the epicenter of the sudden burst of wind when something caught his attention. To be exact it was a number of things that caught his eye. The main one was a certain indigo haired girl, with pupil less eyes, and the crest of the Hyuga heiress on her shoulders. Unlike the many times before she was not wearing her jacket, and only caused him to smile at the pleasure he could gain from this experience.

Behind her was the Nara boy he had grown to despise as much as the Uzumaki child. He could tell from watching that when the boy graduated, and climbed the ranks, he would be a force to be reckoned with over time. He was just too damn smart for the good of any other village.

Behind him was the bun haired girl who enjoyed weapons, someone after his own heart. She may have been a year older then the other two females, but he could enjoy it just as much once he subdued her. Who knows, given time he might be able to break her iron will.

After her was the blond female with the long hair, and pale blue eyes. If he had to guess, she was a Yamanaka, if he remembered correctly. Though not was great as the Hyuga clan, he family jutsu could be useful to him and his group if they could find the secrets. Aside from that, she would make an excellent play thing, just like the other two females.

Behind her was the lard ass, as he lovingly labeled the Akimichi of the group. He had seen the boy practicing with that hammer, and he didn't like what he was capable of. Thankfully though they were in the forest surrounded by trees; this would give him an advantage in mobility over the large boy.

'_With my one jutsu preparing, and all of them not paying attention, this is my chance to take them all out by surprise. Not even the Hyuga sees me yet, but that won't last for long,'_ and his thoughts were proven true as Hinata slowly started to turn in his direction. Without wasting any more time, he removed his sword and started towards the group. Just as he was twenty yards away, he could hear Hinata shout out a warning to the others.

He watched as the Hyuga, and the bun haired girl jumped up and into the trees. The Ino-Shika-Cho group each jumped away and pulled their respective weapons in front of them, with Shikamaru holding a kunai. All of their eyes went wide when they saw his sword, and some of the blood stains on his vest and pants.

"So I see the brat's friends have come to join him in death. I can promise a slow and painful one to you boys, but the girls will be coming with me," yelled the man with a perverse tone hidden in his words. Hearing him say that caused Ino, Tenten, and Hinata to shiver, and wonder what this man had in mind for them. One thing they knew for sure was that they didn't want to find out.

"Tenten, Hinata provide cover fire when needed, Ino and Choji you guys are with me. I don't see Naruto any where, but it's obvious he gave this guy a run for his money. Lets at least slow him down long enough for backup to arrive," commanded Shikamaru as he took command, and the small group started to form a loose circle around the Kumo-nin.

The man didn't respond as he only smiled a smile seen on murders. It was a smile of a sadistic person who took great joy in causing pain. He looked around at the ones he could see, Tenten to his right, just within his peripheral vision, and on the same side was Ino with her whip held at the ready. In front of him was Shikamaru, still with only a kunai in hand and an emotionless look on his face.

To his left was Choji, hammer held at the ready, and in front of his target, Hyuga Hinata. TO get her he would have to go through a few hundred pounds of lard, which he assumed would be easy enough to do. What caught his attention though was the fact that Hinata had her Byakugan activated, and seemed to have an arrow notched in a bow. What seemed to send a cold chill down his spine was the fact that the arrow head was covered in the same blue energy as any person's chakra would.

After making a mental note to keep her in sight, he tightened his grip on his sword. That seemed to be the unofficial signal for the battle to start; as Shikamaru rushed through a short series of hand seals, and caused Tenten to release two handfuls of shuriken.

As he dodged the projectiles thrown by Tenten, he quickly jumped backward as Shikamaru's shadow raced towards him. At the same time Ino had unleashed her whip at him, nearly catching him across the cheek as it snapped. After dodging those attacks he quickly turned to where he could feel Choji coming from, and happened to be just in time to catch the head of the hammer as it came crashing down at him.

Smiling at the Akimichi, he started to gather an electrical charge to send it traveling back towards the boy. Before he could do that though, he was taken by surprised when Choji grunted and threw him up into the air in a surprising demonstration of strength. The surprises didn't end there though; as he soon found out some of the things he missed while he was busy watching Naruto only.

As he was sent flying in the air by Choji, Hinata focused in on his flying form. Doing as Tenten taught her, estimating wind velocity, distance, and leading her target, she channeled more chakra into the arrow, and watched as it started glowing once again. When she was certain the man's upward momentum had ceased, and he was frozen in the air for the few brief seconds it took for gravity to regain control, she fired.

All Choji, Ino, Shikamaru and Tenten saw was a blue beam fly at the man, and sink into his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as the chakra ruptured the tenketsu where it struck. Each of them let out cheers of joy as the man fell back down to earth, all except for Hinata and Tenten who each had a frown on their faces.

"You missed! How could you miss Hinata," shouted Tenten indignantly as she rearmed herself with weapons.

"I know… The wind just suddenly stopped blowing as I released the arrow… What ever was causing all of that wind must have stopped finally, and it threw my aim off," retorted Hinata with what looked like a pout on her face. Even so, she was proud to finally be able to test this theory out in an actual fight. It was something her and Tenten thought up to create a long distance Juken style of combat, and from her first live fire exercise, it worked perfectly.

Ino and Choji were about to walk towards where the man was supposed to be, only to hear Hinata shout out a warning. The duo jumped back quickly as lightning struck where they were once standing, and looked to see their target standing among the branches above them about twenty feet away.

"I never expected a Hyuga to perform long range Juken on me. You are full of surprises; even that lard ass Akimichi surprised me with his strength. Here I thought all Akimichi were just fat lazy bastards who only moved for food," growled out the man as he pulled the arrow from his shoulder. What seemed to unnerve most of them was that he didn't seem to care about stopping the blood flowing out of the wound. He seemed to only grin more in his own sadistic way as he caught a handful of blood and ran it over his sword. "Now that I've seen what you can do, its time to show you what I can do, just like I did your friend," and with those words in the air, he vanished.

Ino and Choji only had a seconds notice two jump out of the way of the sword strike. Not waiting for his counter attack, they continued back pedaling as Choji ran through a set of hand seals taught to him by Jiraiya.

'**Doton: Yomi Numa **_(Earth Release Swamp of the Underworld),'_ thought the young Akimichi as he slammed his hands down on the ground. The results were seen right away as the ground within thirty feet of the Akimichi started to change into a putrid purple swamp. Ino jumped away into the trees, and the others joined her there if they were not up above the ground already.

Hakai stopped his pursuit and looked at the technique the boy had just performed, and frowned in annoyance at the safety it gave them. Even as he prepared to jump to the trees, he had to flip away to avoid the incoming weapons from Ino, Tenten, Shikamaru and Hinata. Choji himself was no where to be seen.

"Damn kids," yelled out the Kumo-nin as he focused on his sword once again before ramming it into the ground up to the hilt of the weapon. As soon as the blade was completely buried, lightning struck down on the man, and coursed through his weapon before dispersing into the ground.

This continued for several minutes before an unearthly scream of pain could be heard from the other side of the swamp. With Choji rising from the ground, and his body convulsing, his friends quickly jumped down to check on him. All along his body they could see the signs of second and third degree burns.

Ino and Hinata were already pulling out burn creams and applying them to the more severe burns. While doing this, Ino was trying her best to get her large friend to calm down, and make their job easier. Tenten and Shikamaru took up a position in front of the two medics in actions and their downed friend.

"Damn, to be able to use a Raiton jutsu and get Choji while he was underground… This guy must be a master of the techniques to use them so precisely. We need to be extremely careful from now on," commented Tenten.

"Humph, you don't need to tell me that. I wish I knew where Naruto was though; he would be able to help us out a great deal right now. Why the hell did I bother coming out here," complained Shikamaru as he stowed away his kunai, and brought his hands together in a shape few recognized.

"I don't know what you plan on doing, but it won't worked," screamed Hakai as he seemed to explode off of the ground and over the rapidly shrinking swamp created by Choji. He was nearly on top of Shikamaru when Tenten once again forced him away with a hail storm of weapons.

"Stupid girl, I was going to let you live long enough for the followers of the Sandaime Raikage to enjoy you. Now though, I think you are too much of a hassle to leave alive," yelled the man as he jumped again, this time using his sword to act as a shield. Just as the man was on top of the protecting duo, they jumped back, and at the same time, Shikamaru threw his hands into the trademark seal of many Nara techniques. His shadow raced out to the man, and before he could leap away, he was frozen in place. Not even bothering to ask, he focused his eyes on the already sweating Shikamaru.

"I may not be able to hold you for long, but every second counts for us right now," panted Shikamaru as he strained to keep his technique going. Even with all the training under Tsunade, he could tell he wouldn't be able to hold this man for more then another thirty seconds.

"Give it up boy; you and I both know you can't stop me. You may be smart, but I didn't become the right hand of the Raikage for my stupidity," growled the man as he vanished in a burst of lightning.

Tenten and Shikamaru both started looking for the man, hoping to find him before the struck again. Despite their best efforts, they never noticed the man as he appeared between them.

"**Raikou Bunshin** (Lightning Clone), perfect for getting the drop on some cocky Konoha weaklings," claimed the man as he whispered the message into the ears of Tenten and Shikamaru.

Both were too surprised to respond to the pleas for them to move from Ino and Hinata. Neither of the two noticed the massive sword that was coming around to take both of their heads off at once.

**

* * *

**

With Gamakichi on his shoulder, the Sandaime was leading the way to where Naruto was first attacked. Once there, they were shocked to see the burned outline of Naruto above the head of the Yondaime carving. After checking the impression, and looking for a trail to follow, they once again set out and deeper into the forest of Konoha.

During their travel time, Hiashi kept his Byakugan activated, and was slowly starting to see something that he did not like. He prayed what he was seeing was just his overactive imagination, but as the minutes ticked away, he knew that prayer had gone unanswered.

"Sandaime-sama, we must head to our three o'clock position. Hinata-chan seems to be out here as well, and her friends are not far from them. If the Kumo-nin is still around," trailed off Hiashi as unwanted memories came back to him of several years earlier; and when his brother forced his hand in resolving the matter.

"I say he is right Jiji! Naruto-Nii-chan will be heading there as well once he knows his friends are here. His transformation should be just about done by now, and he is going to tear that Kumo guy a new one when he gets his hands on him," shouted Gamakichi as he jumped from the Sandaime's shoulder to Jiraiya's, then to Tsunade's and finally back to the Sandaime's.

Ignoring the growls from Tsunade and Jiraiya, the Sandaime nodded his head to Hiashi and turned in the direction indicated. Even then, he could tell that Hiashi was starting to become even more upset with what ever he was seeing in the distance.

Just as quick as it came, the look of anger vanished as Hiashi snapped his head to the left of them. This sudden changed did not go unnoticed as each of them stopped to await the news from Hiashi.

"N-Naruto, b-but h-how could he contain so much power without using the Kyubi's," mumbled Hiashi, catching the attention of the others quickly. They could see Hiashi's wide eyes as he gazed off into the distance.

"Hiashi, what do you see," demanded the Hokage as he stepped beside the man.

"I see Naruto coming out of a crater, with chakra swirling around him. At the same time this person couldn't be Naruto; he has the ears and the tails of a fox… The way this person carries himself makes them seem like royalty… Even from here I can feel his power," answered Hiashi as he quickly deactivated his Doujutsu and shook his head to clear his mind.

"I see. Hiashi, do not ever repeat what you are about to hear, or what you see today. This must have been what you meant, correct Gamakichi," asked the Sandaime as he narrowed his eyes at the little toad.

"Yeah, um well you see Nii-Chan went through some changes after him and Hinata "broke up". You guys know about what happens when he is scared, and all, so I don't have to explain that to you. After the break up, he became angry with himself, and it accelerated the change until it became nearly permanent," spoke the toad in a solemn and grim tone.

"WHAT, why didn't that brat tell us this; I'm going to kill him when I get my hands on him," shouted Tsunade as she jumped in the direction that Hiashi was looking moment's ago. She was quickly followed by an equally irate Jiraiya, and a sighing Hokage. Hiashi stood their dumbfounded at what he heard, for once too shocked to speak properly. He soon followed in the wake of destruction caused by the pissed Tsunade.

**

* * *

**

As he walked out of the crater created by the chakra he expelled in undergoing the transformation, he could suddenly hear and smell ten times better then he could before. His eyesight was sharper, and his sense of touch was as sensitive as when he first trained it all those years ago. Even his mind seemed to be clearer then it was before.

No longer was his mind filled with the memories of what he considered his failures. It was focused, and sharp, something many would think was beyond him in his earlier years.

"I almost forgot how different being a Hanyo felt… Being in my human form leaves my mind muddled, and confused. I almost wish I could stay this way, but I know they would probably never accept me in the village again if I came back like this," remarked the silver haired man as he flexed his hands, and did a few basic stretches.

"_**That's nice and all Naruto-kun, but don't forget, once like this you only have about ten minutes before the armor seals away your Hanyo powers. We need to find this Hakai person, and settle the score,"**_ cut in Hikari as Naruto finished adjusting to his body.

Without responding, he closed his eyes, and let his senses reach out to the surrounding forest. Going into this modified meditative stance, he could enhance his hearing, smell, sense of taste and sense of touch.

'_Looks like Gamakichi got help… Crap, Tsunade-Baa-Chan seems pissed off; dumb toad probably said too much about my transformation. Ero-Sennin seems mad too, but it looks like Jiji is fairly calm; that is probably misleading though. What the hell is Hiashi-teme doing here though,'_ thought Naruto as his senses passed over the above mentioned people.

'_No, no, this can not be happening. What the hell is Hinata-chan, Nee-chan, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino doing out here! Damn it, why did they have to decide to fight this guy! I need to hurry or he will kill them,'_ and with those thoughts, Naruto vanished in the wind, not even disturbing the leaves that had settled on the ground.

As he was jumping through the trees, he could feel the fight going on between his friends and his would be assassin. Going through the trees with his eyes could he could almost feel and see every attack in the exchange.

As much as he was worried, he couldn't help but feel proud of his friends for nearly catching the guy in the early part of the fight. Even then though, he could tell that they were still out matched by the experience of the assassin, and the skill he possessed. The man seemed to only be playing with them, and testing to see what they were capable of.

He was glad to see Choji was capable of using the techniques he learned from Jiraiya, but stunned to see the Kumo-nin send bolts of lightning deep into the earth. He would have never expected the man to be skilled or powerful enough to reach Choji from where he was with such techniques.

Despite all of this he had high hopes for his friend; that was until his blood suddenly ran cold when he saw the man vanish from Shikamaru's **Kagemane no Jutsu** (Shadow Imitation Technique)Thankfully, by this time, Naruto was close enough to actually see his friends, and hear the warnings from Ino and Hinata.

In a way, he wished he couldn't see what was going on right now, as the assassin appeared between Shikamaru and Tenten, and whispered something he couldn't catch. As the man started to bring his lightning bolt shaped weapon around Naruto cursed, and focused on the man about to kill his friends.

'_Please, Kami-sama if you are listening, let me do this right,'_ closing his eyes, Naruto focused on channeling Chakra to his legs. As he did, he was repaid when green chakra started to swirl around his legs, and he rocketed forward faster then most people would be able to see.

Just as Naruto was about to intercept the deadly blade, he was surprised to see Hinata appear and grab the weapon with glowing blue hands. Her Byakugan eyes seemed to be glowing with other worldly blue light as she fought for dominance over the blade.

Seeing this, Naruto quickly went into his **Kitsune Genkaku** and watched the battle of wills between Hinata and the Kumo assassin.

The eyes of Hakai were wide as well, seeing the small girl stop his weapon so suddenly. Grunting, the man started to use his superior strength, and height to his advantage. Pushing as much as he could, he still only managed to move the blade a few inches.

Taking advantage of the brief pause in combat, Shikamaru and Tenten jumped away from Hinata and the Kumo-nin. After quickly summoning a staff, Tenten ran towards the stalemate, hoping to get in her own share of attacks on the man who dared to attack her brother.

Seeing the attack coming, the man went to deliver a kick to her gut, but was surprised when he couldn't lift his foot from the ground. Growling, he tried to move his other leg, only to get the same result. Looking below him, he saw no shadow, only a blue glow surrounding his feet.

"This is something I developed for when I confront the Elders, I move my chakra down through the earth, and towards another person. In doing so, I manage to cause the same reaction tree climbing does, and cause the person to stick to the ground unable to move their feet, "declared Hinata as a small sadistic smile started to creep across her face.

Without any hesitation, she quickly released the blade, and ducked under the downward slash. Then without waiting for the blade to completely pass, she came up and quickly delivered several lightning fast strikes to the man's arms. At the same time, she avoided the areas where Tenten's staff struck. During all of this, she kept both of her feet firmly on the ground to keep her hold on the man in place.

As both girls went to deliver what they thought would be finishing blows, Hinata released her hold, and watched the man fly backwards and skip across the ground. Hinata, Tenten, and Shikamaru all held their breath, praying that he would not get up again.

All their prayers were ignored, which Hinata quickly told the others as the man started to his feet once again. Slowly the man made his back into a vertical position; with him using his sword as a crutch.

"Juken, a very deadly style for those who are not prepared for it, but thankfully in preparation for this task, I've studied the style in depth. I knew I may have to face it at some point, and prepared a counter for it. You may have noticed that as you struck, my points seemed to glow brighter then normal, correct," asked the man as he started to steady himself.

'_No, it couldn't be that he used his own chakra to cushion the blows, and nearly nullify the effect of my strikes. To do something like that would require immense control over one's own chakra,'_ thought Hinata as she realized what the man stated was true. Even now she could see the Tenketsu opening from the blows she sent through them.

"As you can probably tell by now, the closing of my tenketsu wasn't enough to cripple me like you hoped. It was enough to stun me, and let your friend get in some hits, but that was all," declared the man as he sneered at the duo.

Growling in anger, Tenten charged at the man, and started to jab with her staff wildly; only wanting to wipe the mocking grin off of the mans face. Her target only laughed at her as she continued to jab wildly, and spin the staff around in the air above her head. As she continued to miss, her anger only continued to rise as the man continued to mock her once again.

"What's wrong, can't hit me little girl? That's fine, I know the perfect place for you once we get done," prodded the man. This once again served to injure the proud Kunoichi's pride as she charged forward blindly, never noticing that the man was smiling in sadistic glee.

Just as Tenten was about to engage him, he performed what looked to Tenten like a **Shunshin no Jutsu **(Body Flicker Technique), except instead of leaves or a cloud of smoke, there was a small burst of electricity. Stunned by the sudden vanishing act of her target, she forgot the one thing that technique was useful for, surprising a person from behind.

Naruto knew what the man was going to do, and didn't hesitate in pumping a light green chakra down to his feet. As he rocketed towards his target, he went through the process of using a jutsu he had been waiting to try out in his Hanyo form. _'_**Hari Jizo **_(Needle Guardian),' _thought Naruto as he appeared behind Tenten; just as her would be killer did.

The difference between a normal Hari Jizo and the one Naruto was currently performing was simple. He didn't extend his hair to form a shield; instead he spiked the hair on his newly acquired fox tail to turn it into a deadly spiked club. Spinning, and using chakra to force the spin to go faster added to the deadly weapons destructive power as his tail slammed into the man's midsection, and sent him flying back into some trees.

As Naruto landed behind Tenten, he had to quickly jump away to avoid weapons thrown by Hinata, Shikamaru, and Ino, who was still sitting by a bandaged Choji. Before any other weapons could be thrown at him, he raised his hands in a placating manor.

"I'm a friend, not a foe. If I wished any of you harm, I would have let that man finish off your friend," stated Naruto hoping to calm his wired friends. By this time Hinata, Tenten, and Shikamaru had already retreated back to where Ino was watching over Choji.

"Then state your name, and where you hail from if you are a friend," bit out Tenten, angry at having to be saved, and down right pissed that she had been caught by surprise twice.

"My name," started Naruto as he suddenly realized he couldn't give them his true name. If he did that there would be too many questions, and he really didn't want to answer those questions right now.

"_**Yoko, tell them your name if Yoko,"**_ answered Hikari as she sat back and smiled inside of the seal. Memories of a person who looked very similar to Naruto's Hanyo form coming back to her. It was part of the good memories she had of Makai.

"My name is Yoko, and I don't hail from any particular place. My home is where ever my heart is," answered Naruto as he moved stray strands of his silver hair behind his ears.

"Well Yoko," started Shikamaru, only to be cut off as Hakai came jumping from the forest. His chest and abdomen was covered in blood from Naruto's previous attack. He already had a large pool of blood gathering beneath him as he landed, and started to pant and wheeze from the exercise. To the ones trained in the Medic arts, it was obvious that last attack must have broken a few ribs, and very likely punctured a lung or two.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you just signed your own death warrant," growled the man as he roared, and the air became electrically charged. Small arcs of electricity was once again dancing up the sides of Hakai as he rocketed through a series of hand seals, faster then all could see except for Naruto.

"Ino and Tenten, You help Hinata get Choji out of here as quickly as possible. Shikamaru, I want you to try to stop this guy any way you can. He started an extremely dangerous jutsu earlier, and he may be trying to finish it now," yelled out Naruto. His orders were met with confused looks from his friends. "Listen, I want all of the girls out of here for their own safety. This guy is crazy, and there is no telling what he will do when and if he takes me and Shikamaru out. Tsunade-sama, Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Hiashi-sama are about three hundred yards northwest of here. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata take Choji to them and get him looked at properly. In the mean time Shikamaru and I will try to stop this guy."

This time his friends jumped into action; with Ino and Hinata calling on a stretcher from a scroll, and quickly placing the injured Choji on it. Tenten quickly grabbed his hammer, and the quartet was on their way. Shikamaru only stood there looking at the silver haired man who seemed to have a firm grasp on the situation.

"Shikamaru, I think you know how to go about trying to stop him. Do what you need to do, but if he gets the technique off, I might have a way for us to survive it. I'll just need you to stay behind me when you try to stop him."

Nodding his head, Shikamaru jumped behind the mysterious silver haired man. Once behind the man he pulled a kunai from his leg holster, and started to twirl it above his head. What would have struck many people as strange was the fact that instead of a ring at the base of the weapon, they would see a long cable leading back into the holster he removed it from. As he kept twirling the weapon in the air above him, more and more cable would come out.

'_Now, my weapon should make up for the difference in the range, and allow me to send my _**Kagemane**_ along the shadow it creates. Once we get done with this Kumo-nin, I should probably try and catch this guy so we can get some answers from him,'_ thought Shikamaru as he released his weapon and sent it flying at his target. As his weapon was flying, he performed the trick Naruto had started to show them all before he cut his ties with them. _"Visualize the hand seals instead of performing them. When you come to the final seal, perform it with the proper chakra, and the technique should activate.'_

Shikamaru was once again surprised as his friend's knowledge proved true. It was something he would never get used to, even though he had done it several times before in the past. He watched as his shadowed thinned out, and traveled beneath his weapon, stretching towards his intended target.

'_Now I hope our mystery man delivers,'_ added Shikamaru as he watched the back of the man, trying his best to ignore the constant swishing of the tail.

Naruto was having an internal debate with Hikari on the subject of just HOW they could stop the man, or counter his technique should they be too slow.

"_**I told you, if it is another Raiton based technique, just simple take the attack with your left hand. When you do, focus on the energy as it enters your body, and use your chakra to guide it down your body and into the pit of your stomach. Once all of it has gathered there, let it flow back up through your body, and exit out of where ever your right arm is pointing. This is also one of the basic moves of the Mizu Mai. Think of it as a wave, ebbing and flowing endlessly, and if you can do this you should be able to learn the rest of the Mizu Mai easily when I start teaching it to you."**_

'_You make it sound way too easy Nee-chan! Even I know this is going to be a test of my concentration and control. One little screw up and I'm roasted FOX! There has to be another way,'_ cried Naruto, obviously not liking the idea of lightning coursing through his body again.

"_**There is, but you don't know any Futon techniques strong enough to match his Raiton techniques. This is the only other way I can think of to do this,"**_ stated Hikari grimly, not liking the idea of being defenseless against this person.

'_Well screw this then. I'll come up with something of my own,'_ shouted Naruto as he cut the link with Hikari, leaving her worried for the safety of both of them.

"Time to die Kitsune, and Nara; I was saving this technique for the blonde idiot, but with your words I know I'll be in trouble soon. Time to taste the ultimate technique of Kumogakure no Saito, **Raiton: Raijin Sabaki** (Lightning Release: Lightning God's Judgment)," screamed the man as he finished his technique before Shikamaru connected with his shadow.

The ground started to rumble, and crack and the air to burn as thunder could be heard. Looking up into the sky, time once again seemed to slow as a giant bolt of lightning came crashing down towards the earth. Even though lightning moves faster then anything known to man, it seemed to crawl down towards Shikamaru and Naruto; both of their eyes going as wide as beach balls upon seeing the technique.

As time started to speed back up, Shikamaru was thrown away and into the forest by a burst of wind coming from Naruto. Even as he flew off into the trees he could see the dust kicking up into the shape of a tornado as the lightning continued on its path towards Naruto. As the bolt neared the silver haired figure, Shikamaru could see a dome starting to form as the person started to spin. To him it seemed similar to the Hyuga Kaiten, except instead of the standard blue normally seen in a Kaiten; this dome was a green and silver color.

"**Futon: Kaze Nankan **(Wind Release: Wind Barrier)," was the last thing Shikamaru heard before the bolt struck. After that all he could see was a bright white light, and then seconds later the sound of an explosion which destroyed the clearing he was once in. The shockwave from the explosion continued to send Shikamaru further and further around from the impact zone, causing him to worry about the safety of his mysterious savior.

**

* * *

**

"Kami-sama, that technique… I remember seeing it while we were at war with Kumo. Their Raikage performed that same move to take out five squads of ANBU in the blink of an eye," spoke Kakashi as he watched from a distance as the bolt of judgment came crashing down.

At the time he was to far away to see who it was directed at, and didn't know anything about the five academy students, and one Genin that were in the area. His progress to the fight had been slowed, but he couldn't help it when Konoha's forest was in danger of being burned down.

"Kakashi, if what you say is true, and the Sandaime Raikage being dead, do you suppose it was one of his radical followers? The Yondaime seems to be a peaceful woman, and I doubt she would send someone here who was loyal to their Sandaime's twisted wishes," spoke Gai, no longer his normal "youthful" self. Seeing the bolt of lightning coming down from the sky turned the thick browed man into what many would expect of a battle hardened Jonin.

"I'm not sure, but we need to get over there fast and find out who was unfortunate enough to be the target of that blast," answered Kakashi as he started towards the strike zone.

Both Shinobi were deep in thought about what they had just witnessed, and would have nearly missed the retreating forms of Hinata, Tenten, Ino, and Choji had it not been for Ino's panicked screams for Shikamaru.

"Tenten, What are you doing up here, I thought I told you to head home for the day," asked Gai as he landed behind his student.

"Gai-sensei, thank Kami-sama. I came up here looking for my Otouto, since I felt he was in the middle of this some how," started Tenten. It would be one of the first times Gai or any of the others saw the older Kunoichi start to break down into tears as she explained the situation.

At the same time, Ino and Hinata were not in any better shape, fearing for the life of their friend that they left behind, and the friend they had no idea where he was.

"Tenten, I didn't know you had a little brother," answered Gai as he tried to calm the girl down and get more information from her. His attempts were cut off however as the girl screamed out at him, and nearly sliced his arm with a kunai during her hysterics.

"NARUTO is like a little brother to me," screamed the hysteric Kunoichi as she broke down crying again. The only thing saving her from hitting the ground was the arms of Ino and Hinata.

Gai looked to Kakashi, who seemed stunned that anyone would feel that way about Naruto. After all, in the higher ranks, it was hardly a secret about how Hatake Kakashi felt about Naruto. Many knew he openly hated the boy, but would never show it directly.

"Kakashi, does this sound like the boy you claim is a demon," asked Gai in a low whisper. He knew it was w risk, but he still wanted his "rival" to see the truth of who Naruto was.

"Gai you should know better, what if they overheard you. Besides, this should show the boy is more of a threat then anything," mumbled Kakashi. His lone eye had narrowed at the words of the green clad man. Shaking his head, Gai went to speak and try to calm the girls down. While doing so, he hoped to question them about the explosion, but another group of people made their presence known.

"Hatake, what the hell are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be back fighting the fires," growled out Jiraiya as he landed behind the Jonin. With him, Tsunade landed at Choji's side and started to heal his injuries. Hiashi landed next to Hinata and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. The young Hyuga could only turn into her father's arms, and cry into his chest.

The Sandaime and Gamakichi landed beside Gai, and looked in the direction where more smoke could be seen rising above the trees. The small toad walked up to the Sandaime and leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"Jiji, Nii-chan is over there… I can feel his energy draining away fast. We need to get Baa-chan over there as soon as possible," whined Gamakichi.

"I'm well aware of that, but we need to make sure these young ones are taken care of first. I'm sure Naruto would understand, after all could you imagine if we went straight to him, and not bothered to check up on his friends," mumbled the Hokage in response to the toad's pleas. The small orange amphibian could only pout and mutter an answer to the Hokage as he sat down on his shoulders once again.

However, at the same time Gamakichi was giving up the fight, the gods seemed to take pity on the small group. The relief came in the form of Shizune, Anko, Ibiki, and Dr Mihara; who was being carried by Ibiki. Upon seeing her senior apprentice, Tsunade called out to her, and had her taken over treatment of Choji.

"Kakashi, Gai, I want you to stay and watch over these young ones. You are to escort them to the hospital when they are ready for transport, and stay by their side until I relieve you of duty," stated the Hokage in as firm a tone as he could muster. Looking back at Tsunade, he saw her nod to the Hokage who motioned for the others, with the exception of Gai, Hiashi, Shizune, and Kakashi to follow him. Within moments of leaving the small group, they could see a barren and blasted section of forest ahead of them. Any trees or plant life in the area ahead of them was destroyed, or incinerated by the intense heat created by the lightning strike.

When the group was about a hundred yards from the wasteland, they could hear coughing coming from the forest floor. Stopping to look around, they were quite surprised to see the arm of Nara Shikamaru sticking up from under a pile of debris.

Jumping down, and quickly exhuming the young Nara, he was also checked out by Tsunade. Shikamaru himself seemed to be out of it, as he kept mumbling, and talked incoherently.

"He is one lucky boy. He has a few broken bones, his right tibia, and a few ribs. Aside from those broken bones, he has a number of bruised ribs, but none of these are life threatening right now. If he had tried to dig himself out it would have agitated the injuries. He might have trouble hearing for a few days as well. There seems to be a few first degree burns, but nothing to serious," diagnosed Tsunade as she let the green fire in her hands die down.

"Shikamaru," shouted a man as he landed beside Tsunade and his son. Shikaku was having a panic attack as he saw his son being treated by Tsunade.

"He's fine Shikaku, just a few broken bones and minor burns. There are a few lacerations, and wounds from when a few bones poked through. I treated the injuries, and he should be fine now," answered Tsunade as Shikaku turned towards her.

"Shikaku, where is Inoichi and Choza," asked the Sandaime as he walked over.

"They stayed back with their kids, and decided to help clear them out of the woods. Last I heard they were tagging along with Shizune to take Choji to the hospital."

"Very well, stay with Shikamaru. We have to find Naruto and the culprit for all of this destruction," advised the wise Kage. Those were the only words the Sandaime sparred as he led the way further into the forest, and towards all of the destruction. Each of them expecting the worst, and praying for the best. What they did see was not what they expected.

**

* * *

**

"_**Looks like you found an effective way to counter that move. I have to admit, I didn't think about using a modified Kaiten for the job. If you hadn't of changed to your true form, who knows what may have happened. It was only because you had full access to your youki that you were able to do that," **_stated Hikari as Naruto slowly started to pull himself out from under several trees.

'_Ah, I feel like Baa-chan held me down and beat the crap out of me, like she does to Ero-Sennin at times. I guess I should never try experimental techniques in a live combat situation,'_ moaned Naruto as he wiped the blood off of his forehead. As he was doing so, he couldn't help but notice that he now had all of his scars back again; which could only mean the armor kicked back in, and started to suppress his Hanyo features.

"_**Wait until you see what you did to this section of forest,"**_ commented Kyubi. Absently nodding his head, Naruto started to look around to see a blasted parcel of land that seemed to be nearly two hundred yards wide.

'_That jutsu did all of this,'_ shouted Naruto as his eyes widened at the sight.

"_**The damage would have been more severe if you didn't disperse the energy from the attack with your newest technique. All the energy in that attack was highly concentrated, and could have destroyed the Hokage monument if it struck there. If it had struck here unobstructed, then it could have destroyed more of the forest then it did."**_

Naruto only nodded his head once again as he went about checking his body for injuries. He started by seeing if he could wiggle all of his toes and fingers; mainly in an effort to make sure he had all ten. From there he went about attempting to move his arms and legs, testing for any broken bones as he did.

It was as he was running his hands over his abdomen and chest that he heard the first sounds of other living beings. Still being weak from expending so much chakra, he tried to sit up to see if it was friend or foe. As the seconds ticked away, his hopes for a friend diminished. After nearly thirty agonizing seconds, he finally caught sight of the battered form of Hakai walking towards him.

The Kumo Elite Jonin was using his broken sword as a crutch to slowly inch his way towards the equally battered form of Naruto. The man was burned, and cut all across his body; causing Naruto to wonder if he looked that bad earlier in the fight. As the man came closer to Naruto, he seemed genuinely surprised to see Naruto's battered form, and not that of his alter ego.

"So the blond boy is back," said the man as he coughed up blood. "I suppose I shouldn't have forgotten about the stories of a boy who had a demon sealed inside of him when I was digging up information… To think my death was caused because I failed to recognize a _Jinchuuriki (_Power of Human SacrificeI should have known there was something unique about you, since I've seen the _Nibi no Nekomata _(Two-Tailed Demon Cat)," finished the man as he continued to cough up precious life fluids.

"Bastard, don't call me that," shouted Naruto as he strained to sit up. "If it wasn't for us, people like you would be dead. We may contain demons, but we still have feelings, and care for those around us! All we ask is to be treated fairly," continued Naruto as he fell back down wheezing.

"Hahahahahahaha," laughed the man as his eyes became unfocused. "As if anyone with half a brain would give a damn about monsters like you! I had a chance to kill that bitch holding the Nekomata, but her mother had to save her. That is why I hate the Yondaime Raikage, she is weak. If she was anything like her father, she would use her own daughter as a weapon for the village."

"What mother would do that to her own child," screamed Naruto as loud as possible. He had always expected there to be others like him out in the world, but to hear this man say a mother should turn her own daughter into a killing machine caused his blood to boil.

"You truly are blind to the ways of life boy. A village should do what ever it takes to come out on top in the pyramid of power. If she had done what her Father wanted, then Kumogakure would be one of the strongest hidden villages. She never did though, and now Kumo is losing its place in the world. To ensure that Konoha does not gain the powers of a demon, I will kill you now," countered the man, screaming the last sentence as he went to impale Naruto with his shattered sword.

He would have succeeded, except for one little problem, his feet never left the ground. As the man looked down towards his feet he only saw what looked like a black stain creeping up his body. Even as he tried to shake it off, the stain continued crawling up until he could finally see what it truly was, Kikaichu bugs.

Seeing the bugs, his eyes flew wider then they had ever before, now feeling the insects eating away at his chakra and flesh. Many of the bugs making their way into his body by the numerous cuts that littered his body. Others just continued to suck his chakra away and eat at his flesh. If was only when his entire body was covered that he let out a blood curling scream.

As the man fell to the ground, as single figure walked out of the shadows of a nearby tree. The person was about Naruto's age, and had a head covered in brown hair. He had on a set of sunglasses that shielded them from outside scrutiny. Covering up most of his body was a long light gray trench coat, with a high color that blocked the mouth from view. To Naruto, and most other denizens of Konoha, there was only one family that matched this description.

'_Shino, you always seem to be hiding in the shadows and watching. Don't know why I'm surprised to see you here and now; I mean with all of the others that came up here and all,'_ thought Naruto as his friend, Aburame Shino, walked towards him.

As the Aburame heir walked over, the bugs covering Hakai started the process of joining again with their host. Most people would squirm at seeing the process, but Naruto couldn't help but admire the Aburame for being able to withstand what ever pain accompanied the merging. At the same time he couldn't help but notice the few insects flying to the boy from his own body.

"Shino, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," called out Naruto. Though that was all he said, he couldn't help but think many other things. _'Crap, I forgot he can gather information with his bugs. Just how long have they been on me?'_

"_**Ever since you started acting differently Naru-Chan. I knew about them, but I did not want to tell you. I felt it was best that perhaps one of your friends got to know the true you, and not the one that you show them all the time. Seeing how he still came and saved you, I think it is safe to guess what he thinks about you,"**_ answered Hikari, knowing the hell that was going to be raised by Naruto later. Instead of an angry retort, she could only feel the connection they kept open close.

"Naruto, I assume all is well now that our guest has been seen to? The others are fine, and have meet up with the group being led by Hokage-sama," responded Shino as he helped Naruto up from the debris. Once he had the blond up, he set him down against a tree nearby. "You need not worry about your friend over there, he is only unconscious. I assumed that Hokage-sama and the others would like to question him about his allies, and extract what ever information they can out of him."

Naruto could only nod as his eyes started to close, only to snap open when he heard several figures land around him and Shino. Opening his eyes, he could see Anko, Tsunade, Ibiki, Jiraiya, The Sandaime, Gamakichi and Dr. Mihara. He couldn't help but offer a weak smile and a raised hand to the people who were the closest thing to a family in his life.

Not offering any form of greeting, Ibiki and Jiraiya grabbed the unconscious form of Hakai, and started towards Konoha with the unconscious Nin. Since she knew the threat was handled, she went to work on healing her young counterpart. As she started her work, she offered a small curious glance at Shino as he stepped aside, and let her go about her business.

"Why is it that I always end up coming to save your butt like this brat? If you keep this up, I'm afraid I won't be there next time," remarked Tsunade as she healed his injuries. As she was doing so, Dr. Mihara walked over to offer what help he could to his special patient.

"From the outside he looks fine, but inside his system is shocked. His nerves are over loaded from all of the electricity that's been through his body. His chakra system is a mess right now as well, but should be salvageable once we get him to the hospital," offered the Doctor, as Tsunade nodded her head in confirmation of the diagnosis.

"That's good, because we have a few question for you Naruto; such as why Gamakichi here calls you Nii-chan, and your special condition," added the Hokage as he walked up with the orange toad quickly jumping from his shoulder, and onto Naruto's stomach. He was careful with his words, seeing how Shino was still close by.

"Nii-chan, you promised you would only do that if there was nothing else you could do! You had me worried that you were about to die or something. If you kicked the bucket on my watch Dad would have been pissed at me," yelled the amphibian as he stomped a foot onto Naruto's stomach, causing the boy to wince in pain.

"Damn it Gamakichi I know what I said! Now quit jumping on an injured boy's stomach; if you don't I'll turn you into a wallet. Why Can't you call me Onii-Sama like your brother," screamed Naruto as the toad managed to hit a few of his broken ribs.

"Enough you midget, we need to heal his injuries, not make them worst," stated Tsunade as she lifted Gamakichi off Naruto. "Just so I don't have to listen to your complaining, I think it is time for you to take a small nap Naruto," added Tsunade as she raised a fist.

"Baa-chan, you said I need to heal, not add injuries," screamed Naruto as Tsunade's fist came crashing down on his skull, rendering him unconscious.

"Was that the best way to sedate him Tsunade-sama? I had other forms of sedation in my bag," asked Ohjiro as he straightened himself.

"Sure there are others ways, but none of them are as fun as that," answered Tsunade as she lifted Naruto's prone form. "Anko, you can come out now too, he won't be seeing or saying anything for at least a couple of hours," added Tsunade as she turned towards where Anko jumped when Naruto looked at her.

Together Tsunade, Anko, Dr. Mihara, Shino, Sandaime, and Gamakichi headed towards the hospital; that was only after stopping and meeting up with Shikamaru and Shikaku. Once there, Ohjiro took over the care of Naruto with Anko following and Gamakichi on her shoulder. Tsunade supervised the treatment of Hakai, and kept him alive long enough for questioning. Shizune handled the treatment of Choji and Shikamaru, and the parents of all those involved made sure their children knew how they felt about them rushing off into such a dangerous situation.

**

* * *

**

It had been a week since the fight with Hakai, and in that time many questions had been answered. Sadly for the Sandaime, many more questions popped up with each answer, and not all of them could be answered.

The first question was how many of the former Raikage's men still wanted to fulfill his wish of obtaining the Byakugan. If Hakai was a glimpse at the power held by those men, then it could only be an ill omen for the future of any Main Branch members.

With the help of Ibiki and Inoichi, they had managed to figure out that the man was trained extensively by the Sandaime Raikage before the Kumo/Konoha war. During the war, he was the one sent to deal with squads that were rumored to have Hyuga Shinobi of Kunoichi mixed in. To his great distaste, many of them turned out to be members of the Branch House, and would often commit suicide; all in order to avoid being taken alive and experimented on.

Before his death, and the revolt of his daughter, Hakai had been given a mission by the Sandaime to retrieve the Byakugan. This was in order to make up for the failure of Hakai's brother; who was slewed by Hiashi himself when Hinata was kidnapped by a Kumo-nin under the guise of a peace diplomat. Since then Hakai had sworn revenge on Konoha, and the Hyugas; declaring that one day he would fulfill the mission his brother could not, and all in the name of the Sandaime Raikage.

The Hokage knew his counterpart very well, and was often reminded of the man whenever he spoke with Danzo. Both men were war horses, who would do anything to give their village an edge over any other village. They wanted nothing but war to test the strength of their respective villages. The Hokage still had to put up with Danzo's argument that Naruto should be turned into a weapon, and not coddled like a child.

Thankfully the current Raikage was more peaceful, and willing to work with Konoha on this issue. When she had found out about Hakai attempting to carry out the deceased Raikage's orders she was furious. She swore an oath with the Hokage to search out all others who followed the ambitions of her predecessor, and bring them to justice.

To many people these would be empty words, but to the Sandaime Hokage, it was a promise he knew would be carried out. Having heard how these radicals attempted to turn her daughter into a weapon of war, and when they failed to assassinate her; he knew she would deliver on her promise.

There was also the matter of her daughter being smitten with Naruto when they visited him in the hospital. Thankfully Naruto was still unconscious from his ordeal when they came to Konoha, and Hinata was at home; under house arrest, or as most children know it, grounded.

He was pleased that the woman was willing to allow them to execute him in Konoha for his crimes against several citizens of the Leaf Village, and of course against the Hyuga clan. Naruto's part was kept to a minimum through all of it, which wasn't easy to do. All she asked for in return was to be allowed to burn his body personally after he was executed, and her daughter was more then willing to torch the deceased Shinobi. That problem had thankfully been taken care of by the middle of the week, and left him with one other major headache.

Finding out about Naruto's Hanyo powers manifesting more often over the last few months caused him a monument sized headache. After all, who would have thought Naruto would have taken things so badly? He knew the boy valued friends, but to take losing one of them so hard surprised him.

Thankfully though, it seemed as if Tsunade and Hiashi had found a way to handle the situation, for now at least. The one thing the Sandaime knew about the situation was that it some how involved the Chunin Exams that were going to occur in Konoha in the fall.

He still didn't know the full extent of the changes, or how Naruto managed to hide them so well. If he was to be honest with himself though, he wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to know all of the details. With Root digging around more and all the questions running wild because of the assassin sneaking into Konoha; he had more then enough trouble on his plate. Such information was best to only be handed around orally, and never to be written down. After all, should the wrong hands come across any such documents, Naruto could be crucified.

That brought up the biggest question, how had the assassin managed to sneak into Konoha and operate without being seen. To be able to do such things would require intimate knowledge of Konoha and the surrounding area. So knowing an enemy had gotten their hands on that information was not something he enjoyed knowing, but now he knew and he could try to correct what ever mistake had been exploited.

Looking to the clock he couldn't help but notice how close to lunch time it was; for those who are able to have a routine at least. He wasn't lucky enough to be able to have that luxury, with the paper work and all. For the past week though he had made sure to come up with his own routine. He would go and visit Naruto every day at this time; knowing that many of his friends and "family" would also be there.

So it was with a smile, and a rather nice stretch, though he could do without the bones popping, that he vanished in a cloud of smoke, destined for the hospital.

'_Perhaps today will be the day he finally wakes up.'_

**

* * *

**

Inside the confines of the hospital, in a room dedicated solely for Naruto to occupy, a single person watched over Naruto. He wore sunglasses, and a long coat that hid most of his face from view. He was also currently occupying one of the numerous chairs in the room, most of which were brought in by all of his guests.

Next to Naruto's 'family' and Hinata, he spent the most time there in the hospital room. After all, he didn't have to worry about his grades; he could afford to skip a week or so of classes. It also helped that the Hokage had suspended him from the Academy until he and Naruto could speak.

The young Aburame was currently pondering over the events of the past few months, and just how to approach the subject that was surely going to pop up sooner or later. Having appeared and revealed he had his own bugs following Naruto was sure to cause the young container some anger.

Despite the backlash that would surely follow his actions, he did what he was sure Naruto would have done. He placed several females of his Kikaichu bugs on those he considered close friends. These were the people that were willing to accept him and the nature of his clan. To most members of the Aburame Clan, to be accepted by their peers so easily was a rare event; often never happening until placed on Genin Teams together, or forced to work together.

Since Naruto was the ambassador that opened the path to this friendship, he would do anything to make sure he was safe. To him, and other member of his clans, being accepted and asked for help for personal things was a rarity; even if Naruto was just asking for help with insects in his personal garden.

In placing the bugs on Naruto he had discovered things he had never expected to learn. In the few months he had the bugs following Naruto, his world had been turned upside down. Even now he could hardly believe some of the things he learned about the normal care free blond.

Yet he could understand why the boy would wish to keep such things a secret. It was similar to why many members of the Aburame clan dressed the way they did, or isolated themselves from public events. People were idiots, and often feared things without first getting to know them. That was after all one of the reasons why the Aburame clan house was located out in the forest surrounding Konoha.

'_Naruto, I am sorry to disrespect your privacy as I did, but I only wished to make sure my first friend was safe. After I found out what I did, it only strengthened my resolve to be by your side in your time of need,'_ was the only thing Shino could think as a small bug flew to his outstretched finger. After several seconds of silence Shino nodded his head, dismissing the helpful fly, and turned towards the single bed that occupied the room. Just as his gaze settled on the bed, the occupant started to stir.

Naruto first started to swat at the beams of light hitting his eyes, and ultimately failed in driving them away. Next he tried shifting his position in bed, praying to cover his head with a blanket or pillow.

His plan would have worked, except when he rolled he managed to roll off of his bed. The sound of him hitting the tiled floor echoed through the room for several seconds, and was quickly followed by groans of pain. After the initial groans, several muffled curses could be heard as Naruto fought to untangle himself from his sheets.

With a triumphant shout, Naruto finally untangled himself and started laughing. It was then that he noticed someone was in the room with him, and upon opening his eyes he came across the stoic form of Shino opposite of him. All humor vanished as Naruto moved back onto the bed, and sat crossed legged as he settled his eyes on the person across from him.

"How much… How much do you know Shino," asked Naruto as he looked down at the floor with a depressed tone of voice. The only clock in the room counted the seconds as the two sat in silence. One of the occupants fearing what the other would say, and the other occupant thinking on how to answer the question he was asked.

"I believe I know most things about your _condition_. I also know of how the village treats you, and why they treat you that way. Your lineage is known to me as well," answered Shino stoically, deciding to get straight to the point.

Once again the clock filled the silence with the annoying ticking sound. Slowly but surely Shino could see a small twitch start to form on Naruto's shoulder as the clock continued to tick away. To Naruto it appeared as if the clock was mocking him, as the pace of the ticking seemed to increase, as well as the volume of the annoying sound. So it was with an animalistic growl that Naruto raised a hand, point towards the clock, and fire a burst of blue flame at the time piece.

As the flame arched towards the clock, all sound ceased, as if the time piece suddenly became aware of its impending doom. In a burst of smoke, and shower of sparks, the clock was destroyed; revealing a scorched wall. The scorch marks on the wall were far from new; showing any who could tell this how often clocks meet such a fate. With this little action, the mood seemed to lighten, slightly. Naruto let out a heavy sigh as he looked straight at Shino.

"I see… So any questions you want to ask," inquired Naruto, his eyes focused on the dark haired boy. If Naruto could read minds, he would be able to tell how nervous his gaze was making the boy across from him.

"I only wish to say that I am sorry we could not become friends sooner," replied Shino, and confusing Naruto.

"What do you mean," asked Naruto as he scrunched up his face in confusion.

"While you may contain Hikari, I know you are not what many of the villagers call you. It may be true that you are now _half_ demon, but you are still half human as well. From what I can tell though, you only became a Hanyo last year, so that should not be relevant to this discussion," stated Shino before pausing to adjust his glasses. "I am a believer in judging a person by their actions, not by what they contain. My clan is also a firm believer in gathering all information before passing judgment on a subject. We suffer from the same stigma you do, but not any where near the hostility that is shown towards you on some occasions, "added Shino, pausing once again to look at Naruto.The blond only nodded towards his guest, letting him know it was fine to continue.

"In getting to know you better I have gained more respect for you then I possessed before. I have become enlightened to what a truly hard life you have lived, and the way you have lived it. To be honest, I do not know of anyone who could have gone through the events you have. You used to be an enigma to me, until you invited me into your circle of friends. Even then I could tell you hid much from us. I now know why, and I regret only breaking any sense of trust or privacy I may have violated," finished Shino with a hint of regret in his voice.

Naruto sat there watching the Aburame, who had his head down. It almost seemed like Shino had been scolded, or punished for what he had done. If there was one thing Naruto knew though it was that one could punish one's self far harsher then any authority figure ever could.

"You know Shino; I think that is the most I have heard you talk since I've known you. With that deep voice of yours, you might be able to sway some of Sasuke's fan girls to chase after you," declared Naruto while fighting back a laugh at Shino's obviously shocked face. "I admit I was mad when I figured out that you had your bugs following me. During the time I was sleeping though I talked with my Nee-chan, and managed to make me see the 'light' so to speak. I realized that I had to tell you guys sooner or later, and I should have done so on my terms, and not let you guys figure it out on your own," answered Naruto as Shino cast a puzzled look in his direction when he got over the fact Naruto was laughing.

"Will you tell the others then?"

"No, not yet at least. Maybe some time in the future, but right now I don't think I could tell the others, at least not everything. I mean I shouldn't be tossing around three S-Class secrets like they were nothing. I suppose I should let you in on some things though; even though you seemed to have pieced most things together.

"The information of my father sealing the Kyubi inside of me is an S-Class Village secret. The older generation was told to never tell our generation about this by the Sandaime. He passed a law forbidding them from doing so, and should someone violate this law, they could be sentenced to death. Now that you know of this information, you will be held to this law. The only one exempt from it is me; as I have the right to tell anyone I wish," stated Naruto as he relaxed into his bed slightly. Shino only nodded after taking a hardly noticed gulp at the news. Seeing this only caused Naruto to smile at his friend.

"As far as I know, no one knows of my parents. If I know Jiji though, he probably had my blood compared against everyone in Konoha in an effort to find them. If that is true, then he may know who my father is, but probably not my mother. Even so, I would like to keep that a secret until I can handle any enemies they have made."

Again Shino could only nod in understanding. Knowing the stories of the Yondaime and his exploits during the war with Iwa, he knew that the man had to have made some powerful enemies. Should they ever learn he had a son, they would try to exact their revenge on him.

"About my _condition_ so to speak, I haven't told anyone about it yet. I'm sure that is going to change though when Baa-chan gets her hands on me. It really isn't a session I am looking forward to either; since I know I'm going to be smacked around a great deal," added Naruto, wincing as he imagined the pain Tsunade and Jiraiya were going to put him through.

Upon seeing Naruto wince and twitch, Shino couldn't help but smile behind the collar of his jacket. To see someone who faced off against several high ranking Nuke-Nins early in his life wincing could only bring a smile to his face. Add to that the fact that he calls two of Konoha's legendary Shinobi "Baa-Chan" and "Ero-Sennin"; you were bound to find the scene funny.

"So why aren't you at the Academy? Don't tell me they canceled classes just because of me," asked Naruto as his mood suddenly shifted.

"No, of course they would never do such a thing. I was told by Hokage-sama that I was suspended until we talked, since he figured out I may know several private details about you. This gave me a chance to organize my thoughts as well. It also allowed me to speak with you privately, and without any distractions," answered Shino as he stood from his chair, and shifted to another one away from the door. Once he was settled in again, he noticed Naruto's confused look, and nodded in the direction of the doorway.

As if answering Naruto's question, the door flew open to reveal Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Tenten, Anko, Ibiki, Gai, Iruka, and Dr. Mihara. Each of them filed into the room, and when they each noticed that Naruto was awake, had different reactions.

Ino ran over to the bed and gave him a bone crushing hug; surprising Naruto with her strength. At the same time she was mumbling something about how she was glad he was okay, and he better not scare her like that again. Choji and Shikamaru only smiled and waved at their unfortunate friend. They were also trying to hide their amusement at the way Naruto's face was slowly changes colors from the death grip Ino had on him.

Anko and Iruka could only blush when Naruto looked at them for help, and avoided eye contact with him as much as possible. They too were trying not to laugh though as Naruto started to turn blue from the lack of oxygen to his body.

Ibiki could be heard laughing from a corner of the room. Naruto could barely hear him saying something about that was what he gets for making his friends worry so much. Next to him Gai was ranting about some strange powers of youth prevailing over all. Looking at the man's eyes though, Naruto could tell he was just as worried as everyone else in the room.

Dr Mihara was at the foot of the bed, reading the clipboard stationed there. Naruto could see him checking several things as his eyes danced across the papers. At the same time the man was humming and smiling when ever he looked up towards Naruto.

The most surprising thing for Naruto was when Tenten appeared on the opposite side of the bed from Ino. When he saw her face he knew he was in trouble, since her eyes held a deadly flame in them; one he only saw when she was pissed at someone or something. As if she knew what he was thinking, she quickly bashed him on his head; separating him form Ino's choke hold, and sending him off of the bed.

"Damn you Otouto! Don't you ever make use worry like that again! Do you have any idea what we went through as we wondered if you would ever wake up! Even with Tsunade-sama and Ohjiro-san saying you were okay, we couldn't help but worry about you! Imagine what my dad and little Misaki were going through since they couldn't come and visit you as often as I can," screamed Tenten as she stomped over to his prone form. As she came closer to him, Naruto could only crab walk away from his adopted sister.

"Tsunade-Sama was worried about you as well, even though she tried to assure us you would be fine. Anko-sensei was on edge, and Iruka-sensei could hardly pay attention to things at the Academy! Shizune-sensei practically lived in the hospital while you were sleeping, hoping to be here by your side should something bad happen, and hopefully keep your ungrateful butt alive," screeched Tenten again as she trapped Naruto in a corner. All those in the room were silent as they watched the angry Kunoichi stalk her prey. The younger generation was starting to become worried for their blond friend; while the older generation watched with morbid curiosity at the drama playing out in front of them. They all cringed when they saw Tenten raise her hand into the air again, and many closed their eyes or looked away as the hand started to come down towards her target.

Then all was silent, except for what could only be the sound of someone crying. As many looked back at the scene, they saw Tenten with he face buried in Naruto's chest, and her hands holding on tightly to his hospital gown. None of them could make out the words that were being said by Tenten.

Stunned, Naruto could only look down at the brown hair of the girl he called sister. Realizing she was crying, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, and started to rock her back and forth. He bent his head down to where it was resting on the older girl's shoulder, and started to whisper to her.

'_I've never seen her like this before. She always seemed so strong, and out of everyone I know, I hardly expected her to break down like this,'_ thought Naruto as he continued to try and reassure the girl her was fine.

"_**That is the effect you have on people. Some how you cause them to care for you deeply, and in doing so they tend to act different from what you would expect. Take Shino for example; you offered him friendship, and he has become nearly as loyal as Shikamaru and the rest in such a short amount of time,"**_ answered Hikari.

After several minutes Tenten seemed to finally calm down, and was only hiccupping now into Naruto's chest. Once they both realized this, they started to stand, and fix their clothes. Once that was done Tenten helped Naruto back into his bed, and started to move away but not before turning and looking him in the eyes.

"Don't be such an idiot again Naruto. These last few months you had us all worried. Then we suddenly find out that you are being attacked by some elite assassin Nuke-nin from Kumo. After everyone was taken care of, and we realized you were in some kind of coma, we were all hit pretty hard. Hinata-chan was hit the hardest I think, next to me, Anko-sensei, Tsunade-sama, Iruka-sensei, and Shizune-sensei. So if you ever make us worry like that again, or die on us, I'll find some way to bring you back to life and kick your sorry butt all across this continent," and with that Tenten moved to sit in a chair while wiping stray tears from her eyes.

The room fell into another pregnant silence as everyone waited for someone else to break the ice on the incident a week ago. It wasn't until Ibiki cleared his throat that the silence was broken, and the bear of a man stepped forward towards Naruto.

"I suppose you would like to know what happened over the week while you were sleeping," asked Ibiki. When he saw Naruto bob his head up and down, he sighed and continued with what needed to be said. "After we found you, Jiraiya-sama and I brought that man, Hakai, back here to be treated. We only made sure he was treated long enough to stay alive and give us what ever information I could pull out of him. The man proved to be a tough nut to crack though, and we were forced to call in Ino's father, Inoichi," he paused as he let the information sink in. Even though he couldn't tell them everything he got from the man, he could at least tell them the main things that he found out.

"What else did you find out Aniki? Even though he was tough to crack, with Inoichi-san helping, you had to get some information. I don't think he was working for Kumogakure, since they wouldn't want to risk another incident like the ones years ago…"

"You are right, he wasn't working for Kumo, but he was working for a radical faction that separated from Kumo. This faction is made up of a group of loyalist, who followed and still adheres to the political views of their Sandaime Raikage. It was he who started the attempts to gain the Byakugan. The man who tried to kill you and the others also had another motive for doing this. His brother was the one who attempted to steal the secrets of the Byakugan years ago, only to be killed while attempting to flee with them. So he wanted revenge for the death of his brother, and was eager to accept this mission for his group," answered Ibiki as he eased himself into a chair beside Naruto's bed.

"So just how did he get into Konoha? I mean the guy seemed to know a lot about all of us, and something like that shouldn't be possible unless he has been watching us," asked Shikamaru as he entered the talks.

"That is problem is being taken care of as we speak. So there isn't any need to worry about that right now. What I'm concerned about is if they send another person here. Naruto, you would likely be a prime target for elimination, and more so if he sent reports back of some kind about the bond you share with the Hyuga clan," stated Ibiki.

"Yeah I know," answered Naruto as he hung his head. Without his goggles or anything holding his hair back, his eyes were covered in shadows. "Believe me Aniki, I've thought about that, and I realized why the guy decided to attack me when he did. I'm weak right now, weaker then I have been in the past. I screwed up, and nearly lost my friends because I did. That is why I'm going to train harder then I ever have before, but this time it will be the right way; with me doing the forms properly, and focusing properly. I refuse to become like I was when they attacked this time," declared Naruto as he looked up, his eyes shining in determination. All those around the room were smiling and laughing as the old Naruto came back to the surface.

"You won't be doing it alone next time, just like you didn't do it alone this time. Just like you have always been there for us, we will be there for you," added Shikamaru as he stepped forward. Ino, Choji, Tenten, and all other Shinobi in the room stepped forward with him. Each of them adding words of agreement or just nodding.

"Besides Naruto if that is the kind of guy we are going to fight in the future, then we all need to step up our training. I hated how easily that guy kicked our butts," claimed Ino as she pouted.

"Man Ino, the guy was a Jonin for a reason. He was probably a high ranking one before he left Kumo too. It's no wonder he was able to handle all of us so easily," countered Shikamaru as he leaned against the wall of the room.

"That is nice and all, but I think we need to let him rest a little longer. He is still suffering from chakra exhaustion, and his body still needs rest. If all goes well he should be ready to leave and return to regular training by the middle of next week," stated Ohjiro as he started to motion for everyone to leave the room.

"We'll talk later Otouto, since I know me and Iruka have a lot to talk to you about. We know you probably don't want to, but we need to talk," called out Anko as she walked out with Iruka.

"Yeah, and be on the look out for Sandaime-sama and Tsunade-sama. They should be here to check up on you shortly, and ask you a few questions," added Ibiki as he followed the couple out of the room.

It wasn't long before everyone had left the room, leaving Naruto alone in silence. He sat there thinking about his promises, and his new found enemies; wondering if he could handle another helping of trouble on his plate. At the same time he thought about the words of his friends, and couldn't help but smile as they warmed his heart.

He was shaken from his musings when he heard a small squeak coming from the entrance to his room. Curious, he closed his eyes and stretched his senses out. It only took him a minute before his nose caught the scent of something he had nearly forgotten. The scent of lavender and lilacs came wafting into his room from the hall. It would hardly be noticeable to most, but he had committed the smell to memory ever since he became friends with Hinata.

It wasn't long after that, that his door opened, and let in Hinata, followed by Hiashi, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Sandaime. Once they were all in, and gathered around Naruto, Tsunade spoke up.

"Looks like you finally decided to wake up Brat; you saved me the trouble of beating you until you woke up. Hiashi and Hinata have a few things to say before they head home. After that we are going to have a nice long talk with you," stated Tsunade, motioning towards herself, Jiraiya, and the Sandaime with the last remark. Nodding slightly at the rather curt introduction, Hiashi stepped forward with Hinata by his side.

"Uzumaki-san, no, Naruto-san, thank you for everything you did last week. Had that summoned animal not come to find us as you instructed, I'm afraid of what could have happened to you. At the same time, should something ill have happened to you, I know my daughter would have been deeply hurt. For that you have the respect of the Hyuga clan," finished Hiashi with a bow to the blond boy. With his head bowed down, Naruto couldn't see the smile on the man's face. If he could have, he would know that the man found the confused expression on his own face very amusing.

"W-what? Why would the Hyuga clan pay their respects to me," questioned Naruto, finding it hard to swallow that anyone besides Hinata, Hiashi, and Hanabi would respect him in that clan.

"That is fairly simple brat. When Gamakichi came charging in on Inuzuka Tsume's partner, Kuromaru, he caused quite a mess. Several Main and Branch family members heard everything the small toad told Hiashi and me. Ibiki, Shizune, and Hinata were there as well, which explains why she went charging ahead of all of us. The way many of the level headed ones see it, you helped to weed out a threat to the Hyuga clan," answered Tsunade as she sauntered over to his bed.

"Those that see other wise are nothing but blind bigots, and would do well to hold their tongues. From this day forward, you are always welcomed in the Hyuga household," added Hiashi as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, thanking him for all he has done; both intentionally, and unintentionally. "Now I believe you and Hinata need to talk about several events in the past few months. We will be waiting outside, but do make it quick since Hanabi is waiting at home for us."

With those words the adults emptied the room, leaving the two Academy students alone, and in silence. Both were looking at different places in the room; Naruto at the burn marks on the wall and Hinata the tiled floor. The silence was broken by both of the occupants starting to talk at the same time.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Hinata-chan…"

Started both before blushing and stopping again; neither could look at the other for fear of the other occupant seeing the blush on their faces.

"Go ahead Hinata-chan," said Naruto as he could tell how uncomfortable both were with the awkward silence. The indigo haired girl only nodded her head, and took several deep breathes before she started with her long overdue apologies.

**

* * *

**

Outside of the room, and down the hall, Hiashi sat drinking tea with Tsunade, Jiraiya and the Sandaime. Each of the seasoned veterans was waiting for the outcome of what ever would be said between the two childhood friends.

"Are you sure it was for the best; I mean leaving them to speak and handle their problems alone like that," asked Hiashi as he set his tea down.

"Yes, it is very important that they learn to handle and speak of their problems with each other openly. With us there, I doubt they could do so easily. Sometimes parenting requires on hands handling, and other times it requires us to let our loved ones handle things themselves," answered the Sandaime as he released a cloud of smoke from his pipe. He knew all to well the worries going through Hiashi's mind right now, and he couldn't help but chuckle lightly. The man was finally starting to act more and more like a father.

"Yeah, besides after the scare Anko and Iruka gave him, I doubt Naruto would do anything indecent," added Jiraiya as he chuckled perversely. Hearing this, Tsunade rewarded the man with a backhand that sent him flying into the wall, and a small indention made by his impact.

"Don't listen to him Hiashi. Naruto would never do anything like that; and if he tried he would end up dead. Hikari would cause him untold mental pain, Anko would cause him physical pain, and I would heal him only for the process to be repeated over and over again. If we should worry about anything, it would be Hinata telling him about what the elders tried to do. When and if he finds out, there could be heads rolling," declared Tsunade as she dusted off her hand, and glared at Jiraiya.

"Indeed, if anything this will help the two forge a closer bond. One which may be rewarded come the Chunin exams. Regardless of if he takes part in the exams, he will have a fight during the main matches. If I know the boy, he will be extremely serious when he faces the Mizukage's son in that match," added Jiraiya as he became serious for the first time that day.

"I'm still wondering how you managed to get them to agree to such terms Tsunade-sama. I would never believe they would agree to the terms without knowing who would be battling for Hinata's honor. To think they caved in so easily is nothing short of a miracle," added Hiashi as he looked towards a smug looking Tsunade.

"That Hiashi was easy to do. When I found out how much they screwed with one of my apprentices, and how it caused her skills and training to become lacking, I was rather pissed. All it took was for me to show them my displeasure, and send a few of the more arrogant and self centered ones to the hospital for the next few months," claimed Tsunade with a smile on her face. Each of the men in the room had a good laugh at the expense of the elders then, and could easily picture what was done by Slug tamer.

"Haha, no wonder they caved into your demands then. Oh how I wish I could have been there to witness the pounding you gave them," yelled Jiraiya as he fell out of his seat laughing.

Even Hiashi and the Hokage couldn't help but laugh at the mental pictures that their imaginations conjured up. They each ended up laughing louder and louder as they feed off each other's laughter and mirth. Their laughter ended up getting so loud that many of the nurses looked towards the room with worried glances. Even though they were worried, none wanted to risk walking in on what ever the four honored members of Konoha were discussing.

**

* * *

**

All was quiet in the room occupied by Naruto and Hinata, and for good reason too. Both of the young Shinobi wannabe were sound asleep. Naruto leaning back in his bed, and Hinata in a chair by the bed; with her head on his chest and one of his arms wrapped around her shoulder.

The talk had gone well, with the exception of Naruto trying to jump out of bed to inflict severe bodily harm on several of the Elders. Thankfully before he could get too far, Hinata reminded him of his state of dress, and told him that Tsunade had taken care of the problem for the time being. When asked how Tsunade handled the situation, she could only claim they had never told her. She only knew that Tsunade and her father had managed to arrange some sort of deal. Hearing the problem was handled, Naruto settled down, but not before mentally making a note to enjoy another prank streak in the Hyuga Compound.

From there both parties apologized for their behavior over the last few months, and promised each other that they would never betray each other again. They would trust in each other's judgment, and believe that they were doing what was right. It was during this time that several things slipped out that they had never expected from each other. Both of them were dreaming of the events that took place thirty minutes ago.

"_Hinata-chan I don't know why I thought that you would do something like that purposely. I should have known there was a good reason for everything that was going on," admitted Naruto as he swung his legs over the side of the bed._

"_I should have never let it happen though. When my father returned home I should have told him what happened while he was gone. That or I should have at least told Tsunade-sama, or you. I know the both of you would have helped me some how… It was difficult though since they assigned Kurenai-Sensei to watch over me when the Academy started up. Then after the first day I could hardly face you," added Hinata and she did something that just seemed right to her. Naruto too was surprise when Hinata lunged forward, and wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face in his chest sobbing softly as she tried to apologize for hurting him._

"_Hinata-chan, don't cry now. I should have listened to Shikamaru and the others when they said to keep a level head. Instead I lost my cool; I felt I had failed you in some way, and I hated myself for doing that to someone I cared for deeply," whispered Naruto as he wrapped his arms around the girl._

_It took several minutes for everything that was just said to sink into each of them. When it did, both blushed so much that it would put an apple or tomato to shame. Both jumped back away from each other, or as far as they could without Naruto falling off the bed._

'D-did I just admit w-what I think I did,' _mentally asked Naruto as the events caught up with him._

"**Why I do believe you did Otouto, and it is about time you did so as well,"** _answered Hikari as Naruto received a mental picture of her smiling in the depths of his mind. What ever retort he was about to give was cut off when he heard Hinata start to talk._

"_N-Naruto-kun… I should have never done what I did though. J-just l-like you, I h-hurt s-someone I care f-for d-deeply. I-I f-felt l-like I broke b-both of our h-hearts that first day," whispered Hinata meekly as she shyly walked back over to the bed. "Naruto-kun was one of the first p-people to accept me; e-even though I w-was shy, d-dark and w-weird. Naruto-kun has a-always inspired me to d-do my best, and to be there for m-my friends. He was my first friend, b-but now I t-think of him as s-something more," continued Hinata as she came closer and closer to the bed. By the time she had finished, she was in front of the bed, and looking at Naruto._

From there Hinata had told Naruto he needed to rest, and he did just that. While Hinata sat there watching him sleep, she too started to doze off. Slowly but surely, she ended up falling asleep, with her head falling onto Naruto's chest. From there his body reacted on its own, and wrapped an arm around her protectively. This was also the way that the Hokage, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiashi found the two when they returned to the room.

When the group came in and saw the position of their young charges, they were surprised, and yet happy at the outcome. In many ways, this was what they had wanted, and it only strengthened the resolve to out maneuver the people of the Village Council and Hyuga Council.

"It looks as if Hinata will not be heading back to her classes today. I think, with your permission, I will return home with her. After all, I will need to discuss the events that happened with her privately; seeing how she may be too embarrassed to say anything in such a large group," said Hiashi as he moved to pick Hinata up. When doing so he met with some resistance from Naruto's arm, but that was taken care of when Tsunade moved it for him.

"It seems even in his sleep he never wants to let her go again," whispered Tsunade as she followed Hiashi and the others out of the room.

"And it looks like we will have to wait another day before we ask him about that rather interesting tattoo on his arm," muttered Jiraiya as he followed them out of the room. "I know I've seen it before but I can't remember where, and it is bugging the hell out of me," whined Jiraiya as the made their way out of the hospital.

"Just let it go, and he will likely explain when he feels ready. That is of course unless you wish to speak with Gamabunta instead, and ask why Gamakichi and other toads have been spotted watching over Naruto this past week," cut in Sarutobi. The effect of his words could be seen immediately as Jiraiya paled; not liking the idea of confronting the Toad King on such a subject. If he was lucky he would probably just come away with a few broken ribs. If he wasn't that lucky though… Jiraiya shuddered at the thoughts of the punishment the toad could put him through.

"I guess you are right Sensei, but it doesn't mean I have to like it," mumbled Jiraiya as he hung his head in defeat. Tsunade could only laugh at the perverted man as she childishly stuck her tongue out at her old friend.

**

* * *

**

Naruto was out of the hospital right when Ohjiro had claimed he would leave. Granted majority of his stay to that point wasn't really for the purpose of recovery. During that time he was questioned, and tested. The questions ranging from his relationship to the Gama tribe (which is evaded all questions), to his Hanyo abilities. He was asked and told to demonstrate how he was able to counter the final attack from Hakai, and left many dumb founded on the way he imitated the Kaiten.

Because he was starting to experiment with Wind Nature chakra, Naruto also gained a new teacher. He wouldn't be teaching him much or as often as Jiraiya would be, but he would be available to answer question about that affinity. Sarutobi Asuma, son of the Sandaime Hokage, and former member of the Daimyo's personal guard. He was also one of the few in Konoha who were experience with Wind Chakra, and perhaps the only other one besides Naruto.

It was decided that Asuma would drop scrolls off for Naruto on days he couldn't hang around to answer questions. Majority of the time though he would give Naruto little tasks to do, and they were designed to help him harness the full ability of the Wind chakra. The first task he had given Naruto, fresh out of the hospital, was something so simple Naruto doubted his ability to teach; slicing vegetables with just his wind chakra. Of course it didn't help that Asuma turned around and thanked Naruto for cutting up the ingredients for Asuma's dinner that night.

Following Naruto's release he was also allowed to attend the Academy once again. With half of the semester gone, he only had less then four months to raise his grades. This time around with Hinata and his other close friends, he would do what was needed. If he didn't, he was sure Tsunade and the rest of his "family" would make him pay for not graduating with the others.

Despite the cheerful atmosphere of the Academy on his return, he still couldn't help but feel a little down. Just like his friends, he was told he could not state what part in he played in the events of the previous week. It was the talk of the town of course, but no one knew how it ended or started. At the very least they could talk about it behind closed doors, but never anywhere out in the open where they might be over heard.

'_It sucks though, I do something that couldn't be done during the war with Kumo, and I can't talk about it to anyone but the folks at my house,'_ muttered Naruto as he took his seat by his _favorite_ window.

"_**How quickly you forget things Naru-chan. There is also Shino, who knows just about every one of your secrets now,"**_ claimed Hikari as she took on an amused, and yet scolding tone of voice.

'_I didn't forget about Shino… I just didn't mention him or anything…now you have me feeling a little guilty."_

"_**He is easy to forget though. I mean the boy is unnaturally silent for a human, but let's forget about that. Try thinking about the positive things in life,"**_ claimed Hikari, hoping to take his mind off such negative emotions.

'_Like what Nee-chan,'_ questioned Naruto as he watched the other students in his class come in. Most of them he didn't pay attention to, but he was keeping an eye out for his friends who should be there any minute.

"_**Oh I don't know. Maybe you should think about where you and Hinata-chan will go for your first date,"**_ queried Hikari.

'_I love you and all Nee-chan, but I'm going to make you pay for teasing me all the time. When I do, you are going to regret all the teasing you put me through. So will Anko-nee-chan, Baa-chan, Shizune-nee-chan, and Ero-Sennin. After all, I developed the mental block for a reason, to keep you away from my plans of revenge,'_ growled out Naruto mentally as he closed off his mind from Hikari once again. To her credit, she didn't look half as stunned as she actually was upon hearing the news.

About the time Naruto severed his connection with Hikari, several of his friends walked into the room. Ino was in the lead, with Choji, Hinata and Shikamaru closely following her. When they entered and saw Naruto waiting, each of them smiled and waved before heading up to side beside him. Slowing, Ino let Hinata in first, before sitting beside her, and Choji took up the place to her right, and Shikamaru took up the last seat in the row.

Shortly after that Kiba could be seen entering the room with Akamaru on his head, and looking around the room. Seeing Hinata beside Naruto again caused his face to contort in anger, and with a barely suppressed growl he sat in the middle of the room. Seconds later a stoic Shino walked into the room, and made his way to the row beneath the one occupied by Naruto and company. With only an acknowledging nod, he took his seat, and started his morning ritual of speaking with the bugs of the school.

Next to come in the room was Sakura, who looked as if she had run a marathon before coming to the Academy. Without evening waving or acknowledging the others, she sat down with a huff, and laid her head across her folded arms on the desk.

"Hey guys, what's been up with Sakura lately? I haven't seen much of her over the last few months, and I never really noticed how tired she looked until now," asked Naruto as he noticed how haggard the bubblegum haired girl looked.

"I guess we forgot to tell you; with the way things have been the last few months and all. Sakura is working at the hospital part time right now. Tsunade-sama noticed out of all of us, she is best with healing injuries and all. Hinata has even been working there at times, but mostly works in the surgical department. I do some work there, but like Sakura and Hinata I have a field I am better at. Since I have slightly larger reserves then Sakura, I'm more suited for the role of field or combat medic, like Hinata," answered Ino as she looked down at her old friend.

"The main reason I serve as a field medic is because I can patch people up enough for them to make it to an area for proper treatment. I guess if we went to war or something I would probably me a Mobile Medic. My job would be to stabilize the patient and treat all life threatening injuries. After I do that my job is done, and I move on to the next person. Depending on the injuries, the person can go back to combat, or sent back to a treatment center or hospital for proper care," added Ino.

"Wow, I didn't really know there was that much of a difference in the Med-Nin division. I guess it makes sense in a way though. Some people are able to handle certain situations better then others. With Sakura's book smarts she has the ability to treat all kinds of patients, but she might not have the stomach for the more serious injuries," claimed Naruto as he took on a thoughtful look.

About this time, Uchiha Sasuke had walked into the room, earning squeals of "Sasuke-kun!" from a number of girls in the class. Just like always he ignored every single one of them as he sat on the side of the room opposite from Naruto. What caught Naruto's attention however way the way he flopped down into the chair, instead of the normal dignified way he would take his seat.

"Its rumored the Teme has been taken on as an apprentice to a Jonin. No one knows which one, but it seems the Jonin left his ANBU unit just to teach him," stated Shikamaru, reading Naruto's mind.

'_So that is what that stupid Inu-teme has been up to. Should have known one cheap bastard would teach another cheap bastard,'_ growled Naruto as he locked eyes with Sasuke.

Feeling the eyes on him, Sasuke turned and locked eyes with Naruto. They continued the stare down for several minutes before Sasuke smirked, and looked back to the front of the room. It wasn't until he was facing the front of the room that he muttered something he was sure Naruto wouldn't hear.

"Dobe," hearing the barely whispered words, Naruto fought to contain his anger. It wouldn't do to jump over and rip the boy's throat out after all. Thankfully for Naruto though, Iruka choose that time to walk into the room, and start role call.

**

* * *

**

After that first day back, the days seemed to fly by for the small group of friends. They would still talk together, and walk together, but there was a difference in their training. Now each of them trained for the purpose of being able to stand against any threat that may come at them.

Their brief fight with the Kumo-nin was a wake up call to each and every one of them. Many realized how close they were to losing a friend in that fight, or worst, friends. Seeing the power of a Jonin, and the destruction a single person caused told them what they might be in for when they graduate from the Academy.

For that reason, they took their training a little more seriously, but they never forgot what they were training for. They trained to be able to protect themselves and the ones they cared for. They trained for their family and village, hoping to make each of them proud. They also trained and learned to take pride in their actions. Because even though they got into trouble for trying to fight the Assassin; they were also told that what they did was something spectacular. Their parents were proud of the extent they went through to try and help a friend. Despite all of that, their parents and teachers didn't take it easy on them.

As the days and weeks ticked away, Naruto started to rise up the ranks in the class. His written grades, and his worst ones, started to rise to new levels. During this time he surprised many when he beat the scores of Sasuke on several tests. Of course many accused him of cheating when this happened, but no one could ever prove such a thing ever happened. This also earned Naruto a number of glares from the sole Uchiha of Konoha.

His practical scores also started to rise and match those of Sasuke. In the area of weapons, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu he was nearly unrivaled. He was no where near perfect, but drilling with Tenten for most of his life did have a few advantages. During his Taijutsu test he would no longer hide his chosen style, and would use the time to practice his **Kaze Mai**. It caused a number of heads to turn, and more then a few questions on who taught him the style.

Many, including Kiba (Sasuke just hung around within hearing range), asked him who had taught him such a style, and if they could learn it. It should go without saying that many students went home upset upon learning it was his "families" style of combat. When asked how a person without a mother, father, or clan could have such a thing; he only answered he was creating it for when he had children of his own to teach in the future.

During these times many also noticed him and Hinata walking around Konoha hand in hand. It didn't take an expert to know that both of the children were happy during those times, as each had a smile on their face. Despite the happiness, it still didn't stop Tenten and their other friends from teasing them. Even Teuchi of Ichiraku teased the couple with his "couples special" when the two stopped by on their walks around Konoha.

Naruto also got to know Hanabi a little more during this time; since Hiashi would also ask the two to take her with them around town. Confused the first time he was asked; Naruto willingly took the younger Hyuga with him. He soon regretted letting the little firecracker tag along. She would berate the older boy, and scold him for not coming by the house in the previous months to play. From there the young Hyuga would ask how he could be so dense to not know her sister had liked him all of this time. Thankfully though the girl only did that the first few times she joined them. After that, she started to act like a child and enjoyed the parks, fresh air, and sweets that Naruto would buy.

His time with Hinata was often ruined though by a certain Inuzuka, who would always try and challenge him to a fight. Not wanting to ruin his time with Hinata, he would calmly decline, or use Hanabi's presence as an excuse not to clean the floor with the canine loving boy. Every time he declined, he had to fight the urge to turn around and clean a smile off the boy's face; that had resulted to name calling and prodding to get the Uzumaki to fight him.

Time continued to go by, and even with Hinata by his side, and Hanabi on his back, time still seemed to fly by for Naruto as the day of Graduation quickly approached. Through some miracle he had also managed to avoid the talk Iruka was supposed to have given him months ago. Be it his own luck or the ones involved deciding to wait a little longer, he was spared the mental scarring that would have resulted. He was thankful however he never had to see either of them in such a manner of undress again.

It wasn't long before the day of Graduation was finally upon the group of friends, and each of them was a bundle of nerves. Out of the eight friends, Naruto had to be the one on the edge of sanity. While his grades had improved greatly, these tests would decide if he graduated or not. If he did graduate, he would probably be the lowest ranking one in the class. If he didn't graduate, he would have to wait another year, or at least another six months for the special exam for cases such as his.

It was with these thoughts that he calmly walked to school on the morning of the final exams. He hardly paid attention to the cat and bear masked ANBU that followed him. After the incident on the Hokage Monument, his ANBU guard had been doubled when the extra guards could be spared.

By now he probably knew the scent and name of each ANBU member. From the times he needed a "baby sitter", to the times they saved him from being beaten; he had picked up all of the information he needed.

The cat masked ANBU had purple hair in a high pony tail, and even then it nearly went down to the middle of her back. She wore the standard gray vest armor, with matching bracers and shin guards, and had a katana strapped to her back. Her name was Uzuki Yugao, and from what he could guess, she was probably the female member of his mother's old Genin team.

He had seen her come to his aide several times in the past, and could tell she was deadly with any kind of sword. She always seemed nice to him when he was little, and would bring him little sweets but never chocolate after the first time. Aside from her sisterly side, there was also a harsh sword mistress side. She was always willing to help Naruto with the use of his Tonfas, and on some occasions how to handle and use a ninja-to or katana.

The other ANBU member following him was a person he knew all too well by this time. He always wore the same bear mask, and seemed to smell like a different tree each time Naruto saw him. Yamato always seemed like a friendly man, and was always there when Naruto needed him. Besides watching over him, he also knew when to let Naruto vent his anger in private. The only thing he ever asked of Naruto was that he kept one of his special tracking seeds on him at all times. It was thanks to these seeds that Naruto had managed to get out of several tight spots in the past.

It was strange in a way, that he would know so many high ranking Shinobi at such a young age. It was even stranger that he slowly learned their likes and dislikes as they watched over him. Through his senses, and general interaction he learned a great deal about his shadow guards. It was also through these events that he learned which ones to stay on his toes around.

In the past it wasn't always a surprise to him that during certain shifts he would be attacked while in the village, or out in the forest training. Some of those instances were probably the few times he hardly remember what the people did to him, and others he would still have nightmares about. The worst one of them all was when flames were dancing around him, and he could see a dog masked ANBU watching from the shadows of the trees.

Those rare occasions had made those people move to the top of his list of people to settle with when he was ready. Until then, he would pull what ever prank he could think of on them, and try to make their lives a living hell in his own little ways. It was truly unfortunate that he had cut back on that since this Academy year had started.

Naruto was so caught up in his thoughts, that he never realized he had reached the intersection he always meet up with Hinata, Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru at. The only thing that reminded him was Ino hitting him on the head, and yelling at him for ignoring her. So after righting himself, he smiled at his friends, and scratched the back of his head while fighting back the embarrassment he felt.

"Sorry Ino, I was just thinking about the last few months, and how much things have changed," apologized Naruto.

"Whatever Naruto; come on, we don't want to be late for the test," and with those words the group followed Ino down the streets of Konoha. Along the way to the academy they quizzed each other on topics they felt might be on the exam; it was actually Shikamaru who asked most of the questions to the others.

It was long before the group finally made it to the Academy, and made their way inside and to their seats. Once seated, all discussion died down to nothing but a whisper; all of the students were eager and nervous to get the test started. Because of nerves, nearly everyone in the room jumped when the door was opened and slammed shut by Iruka and a person they had never seen before.

The only ones who had an idea of who the mystery man were the ones who had family on the council. Even then though they only knew that his presence being there was nothing but bad news for them. One student probably knew how much trouble this single man could be. Living with a sister who wasn't afraid to speak her mind, a short tempered gambling addict, a white haired pervert, and knowing a man who spent most of his life going against him.

Anko, Tsunade, Jiraiya and the Sandaime never missed a chance to warn Naruto to avoid this man when ever possible. Seeing him there in front of him with a smirk on his face sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

"Class, today we have a special guest from the council, Counsel-man Danzo. He is here to observe, and ensure that the test is given fairly. This is also to evaluate our job as instructors, and make sure we are teaching you the things needed to help you in the Shinobi world," answered Iruka as he noticed as the questioning and confused looks of his students.

"Don't mind me children, I am nothing but an old dog watching over the younger generation. I would prefer if you acted as if I wasn't here," added Danzo, in what passed as a grandfatherly tone to those who didn't know him. His eyes though gave him away as they locked onto Naruto and never left him.

"Now as you all know the test is made up of three parts. The first is a written test, in which you will have an hour to answer fifty questions. After that will be the Taijutsu and weapon section of the test. In that section you will be tested on your accuracy, and effectiveness in combat situations. The final portion will be the Nin and Genjutsu portion, where you will demonstrate the basic Academy level techniques. For the Genjutsu portion, you will be asked to identify and dispel some basic low level Genjutsu. Now if there are no questions, clear your desks, and prepare for the written portion of the test," explained and ordered Iruka as he walked in front of the class with a stack of papers.

**

* * *

**

"So, Danzo is going to sit in on this year's exam. Why don't I like the sound of that," asked Jiraiya as he sat at a table. Around the table with him were Hiashi, Inoichi, Shikaku, Choza, the Sandaime, Tsunade, Anko, Ibiki, and Shizune. Each of them showed signs of distaste at hearing the name of Danzo.

"Yes, it is a right as a member of the council. He went under the guise of instructor evaluation, and judging the content taught to the students. He also believes that Iruka would never give an unbiased test to Naruto and the others; given his relationship with Anko," stated Sarutobi as he took a deep pull on his pipe.

"Of course that is a load of shit, considering that Iruka has always been fair in everything he does. If anything he is harder on Naruto then he is on any one else. This is just Danzo's way of checking up on what he sees as Konoha's secret weapon," growled out Tsunade as she slammed a small saucer down on the table.

"A little early to be hitting the Sake so hard isn't it Hime? You are right though, but he could be watching the Uchiha as well. He has traits that are desirable for a group like Root. He would love to be able to have the only Uchiha loyal to him. It would be easy enough to do; just tell the boy he can become strong enough to take out his brother, and you have him hook, line and sinker," added Jiraiya as he tried to take the Sake from Tsunade.

"You don't think Danzo would do such a thing, do you," asked Inoichi from across the table.

"Why not? If would give his forces a deadly card to play should he ever attempt a coup. He knows he can't get Naruto or anyone close to him, and so he moves on to what he can get. Gaining the trust of the Uchiha would only solidify his power base," answered Shikaku from next to the blond man.

"That is also why I think Hatake Kakashi retired from ANBU. While his views on Naruto are different from Danzo's, he still hates the boy with a passion. I think he views young Sasuke as a way to get his revenge some where down the line It is also his sick and twisted way of repaying what ever debt he feels he owes Obito," claimed Ibiki. Even as he said it his hands were clenching the table, and causing small cracks to form. Just as his nails were starting to dig in, Shizune set a calming hand on his shoulder, and he could be seen visibly relaxing.

"That may be true, but he was going to be asked to retire weeks ago. With Sasuke being the only loyal Uchiha in Konoha; Kakashi would be his default teacher. The council honestly doesn't care about the other members of the team; as long as Kakashi makes Sasuke strong enough to represent Konoha and the Uchiha clan," grimly declared the Sandaime as he let out a cloud of tobacco infused smoke.

"The way things are looking, both Naruto and Kakashi are going to live their worst nightmares," chirped up Anko as she tried to keep from giggling.

"My only worry is the third member. If may be Haruno Sakura, and if Kakashi is biased in his teachings. The girl may suffer from his biased views, and if that does happen Tsunade I want you to continue to train her."

"I wouldn't let the girl go for all the money in Naruto's account. She may not be as adept at the field or surgical fields yet, but she can more then handle what ever scrapes her teammates may get in. She is improving faster then I ever would have expected when I first saw her records last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if she matched my skills by the time she turns sixteen," answered Tsunade, proud of her new students. Even Shizune could be seen nodding in agreement to her long time friend and mentor.

"Each of the girls has progressed well in certain areas. Ino seems to be a perfect field medic, and Hinata with the Byakugan is an excellent surgeon. Sakura can handle most injuries, but is still a little queasy with the major injuries. Given time I think she will adjust, and then nothing will hold her back. Tenten has been able to apply her medic knowledge to her weapon skills, and turned out to be a rather effective in hitting vital nerve and arteries. It wouldn't be that spectacular, but her skills may rival that of a Hunter-Nin at her current rate of growth," added Shizune.

"And if Ino doesn't go into the medic field, I could always use an apprentice of my own," countered Ibiki. This earned him a round of laughs, and a scowl from Inoichi; who didn't like the idea of his daughter learning Ibiki's 'art form'.

"I think we can all agree that last year's, and this year's batch of Genin will be a force to be reckoned with as they grow."

"That Hiashi my friend is the absolute truth. They are the crème of the crop, and will make us all proud," and silence fell after that comment. Each of the people at the table smiling at the thoughts of what their off spring, or adopted family would do in the future.

**

* * *

**

The written test had turned out to be rather easy for majority of the class. So once time was up, Iruka went around the room and collected each of the tests. Once he was sure he had all of them, he locked them in his desk and motioned for another teacher, Suzume, to lead the class outside for Taijutsu and weapons evaluation.

Normally he would judge that portion of the test as well, but was forced to stay and grade the written tests. It seemed that the council wished to speed up this years Graduation, and would do anything to make that possible. It was with that in mind that he tried to grade the tests as quickly as possible without making any mistakes.

"Times like this make me wish I had listened to Anko, and quit teaching… At least with Naruto and them graduating I have that chance for the up coming year. I could probably retire from the Academy, and start doing missions again full time," thought Iruka out loud as he marked off a few answers on the current test he was grading.

"With Konohamaru joining the Academy next semester though I won't be able to leave this job for some time. It isn't that I hate the job, but I do hate all of the politics behind it at times," muttered Iruka as he started on Shikamaru's paper.

It didn't come as a surprise that the boy had answered just over half of the questions correctly, but even he was still surprise to see the boy fall asleep during the test. With all of the training the group had been through, he thought the lazy streak would have been obliterated by now.

'_I suppose I should be happy he still hangs onto his childhood behavior. I may not get to see it as often once him and the others graduate.'_

Setting aside Shikamaru's barely passing test, he moved onto Ino's test. She too had done well, but he could see her annoyance with Shikamaru being reflected in her writing. What once was smooth and calm turned into barely restrained anger. The questions were not that hard, and so the only thing that could annoy her would be the person next to her sleeping so casually.

'_If that girl could control her anger, she just might be as deadly as Anko. She already acts similar to her, and tries to dress similar to her. All she needs now is the right personality,'_ thought Iruka. He couldn't help but shiver at the thought of a mini Anko running around Konoha. _'Then again, maybe one Anko is enough. Some things should never be cloned, and Anko and Gai are some of them.'_

Shaking the terrible thoughts of a blond Anko running around, he moved onto Choji's test. He did just a little better then Shikamaru. If the boy had just left some questions with his first answer, he might have ended up doing better. It was one of the boy's biggest flaws, and hopefully he would get over it with time. Choji had a sharp mind, but he always second guessed and doubted himself and his skills. It was one of the few things that separated him from people like Sasuke, who was always sure of himself.

'_After all this time, I would have thought Choji would be past this. Looks like Naruto and Jiraiya-sama still have some work to do with him though. It's strange though. He seems to be a shining star when it comes to weapons and Taijutsu. I guess what Naruto said about his security blanket is true though; since he doesn't have that hammer with him in class, he ends up second guessing. When he does have it with him he is always has more confidence,'_ and while he would to admit it, he just had to. Naruto was great at reading people by their actions and posture. It was so surprising that he seemed to rival the Hyugas in that department. Shaking his head, he made a little note of encouragement for the young Akimichi before moving on to the next test.

Hinata had started to improve greatly inside and outside of the academy after the break. Since she shook off the burden she tried to carry alone she had once again become more open. Even he couldn't miss the small skip in her step when she was walking beside Naruto holding hands. Her posture was more relaxed, and even her manner of speech seemed to show more confidence in herself.

'_Well it is no surprise she aced the test. That makes two people so far who have aced it; her and Sakura. Had this been a year ago, I don't think she would have done so well, but now it isn't a surprise to see her soar above the rest,'_ and with that he moved her paper to the completed portion of his work. This left him with a single paper, and it just so happened to belong to the student he worried about the most.

The change in the blond boy was a clear as night and day to him. After the first semester of school, Naruto now seemed like he was stuck in joy mode. He smiled all the time, and for once it wasn't the smile he used to hide pain. It was the one he used when he was truly happy. With Hinata by his side most of the time, and what seemed like not a care in the world he had progressed greatly in the classes.

'_That is the problem too; he is such a smart ass now. I suppose I should blame Hikari for that though, since he gets lectured by her when he sleeps. Either way though he was the third student to ace the test. It is going to be funny when I post up the scores before the lunch break, and I could already see the looks on majority of the class' face,'_ thought Iruka as he finished with Naruto's test. He was proud of all his students, but more so for Naruto. _'This year is going to be one of the best. All of these kids are going to be the brightest of their clans and perhaps this generation of Shinobi.'_

The Taijutsu exam had gone the way most expected it, with Hinata, Kiba, Sasuke, Choji, and Naruto scoring the highest marks. Hinata with her Juken, which was known to be one of the deadliest forms of Taijutsu in the Hidden Leaf village. Kiba with his Inuzuka style of combat; feral, fast, and high impact moves meant to hit their target with teeth and claws. Sasuke was high paced combat as well, but without his Sharingan he could not perform it to its fullest capability. Once he had awakened his dormant bloodline, his style would be complete.

Choji's style of combat was straight forward brute strength for the most part. Not many people could stand up to a blow from a normal Akimichi. With Choji though it was even more damaging; since he decided to go for muscle mass and not fat. For Naruto it was fast paced, and designed to twist and bend around the attacks of his opponents. When that wasn't possible, he would take a hit to prepare for his own. He could attack from a distance or short range by using the wind he generates as his weapon.

The weapons portion of the exam revolved around Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto as well. Each of them had been practicing since they were old enough to hold weapons, and it showed in the way they handled the weapons presented to them. The only main difference, and annoyance for Sasuke, was that Naruto surpassed him in this area. His time spent at the forge perfecting the balance of weapons showed in every way he handled any kunai or shuriken given to him.

What helped him the most would be the ability to read the wind, and judge how it would affect a thrown weapon. This was one thing that had been drilled into his head by Anko and Tenten from a young age. His bond with the elements, more importantly wind, added to his ability.

It wasn't until everyone came in from that portion of the test that Iruka had finished posting the results of the written exam. Even as they filed in, he could see how eager many of them were to see how they faired on their first test. Many of them were restless and eager to see the results, or they were tired, and eager to eat their lunch. Smiling at their eagerness, and nervousness, he moved in front of his desk once everyone was seated.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering about the written test, and by now you can tell that the results have been posted. I'm proud of everyone for how they did, and I can't wait to see how you each performed in the latest exam. You have an hour for lunch, and afterwards you will be expected back here in the room. The doors will be shut, and no one will be allowed back in at that time. We will then begin the final portion of the exam, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. As you finish those tests we should be able to tell you if you graduate. For those who graduate, we will give you more information once the test is done. For those who don't happen to make it, I would understand if you wish to head home for the rest of the day. I just ask that you do not hold any grudges against your classmates or the instructors. Shake off the loss and comeback next year ready to clean house. Now get out of here, and grab something to eat," said Iruka, yelling the last part of his speech. It looked like the floodgates had opened as the kids poured out of the room. Many stopped to check their grades, and others ignored it in favor of reaching what ever lunch they had brought along or could find.

The smarter students had decided to either wait to see the results when it was less crowded, send a single person to check for them, or cheat and use a person with bugs, or a Doujutsu that had telescopic vision. The latter part of this group easily avoided the rush, and jumped out of the window by them, and started on their lunch while discussing the events of the exam so far.

**

* * *

**

Things did not go as he had planned, and that did not amuse him. He had hoped to have Kakashi perform a "test" of the Taijutsu skills of Naruto, but those plans were ruined when he found out Kakashi had an impromptu mission. The mission shouldn't take long, but it would be too long for his needs.

Because of that setback, he was sure he did not get a full view of the Jinchuuriki's skills. He wanted to learn more about this style of Taijutsu that the blond was displaying, and maybe by learning and seeing it, he could decipher just how it was able to do what it did.

Shaking off that lost opportunity, he moved onto his next chance to see the skills displayed by the boy. The Ninjutsu and Genjutsu portion would surely show him something new, and perhaps the boy would show the technique that allowed him to escape observation by his forces. There were so many questions he had about the blonde's skills, and yet no answers for them. The only answer he could think up for his numerous questions was what was held within the boy, Kyubi.

He tried not to entertain such thoughts, but they were far too sweet not to indulge in. If he was being trained by the demon lord, he would make an extremely powerful weapon in a campaign to spread the rule of Konoha. Even if he couldn't lead that campaign, knowing that Konoha had such a weapon at its disposal was one of his greatest dreams. With that knowledge he could manipulate other countries into attacking Konoha. From there he would only need to convince majority of the counsel to go to war.

'_Yes, and then even that fool Sarutobi will not be able to stop me. Once we are in a war, a few regrettable loses, and raise question to his ability to properly lead the village in times of war to have him removed could easily elevate me or a puppet to his position.'_

**

* * *

**

"I can't believe that Naruto is doing so well. I mean he is practically out classing the Uchiha and everyone else in his class," stated a Chunin in the instructor break room. Around the room others nodded their agreement, and a few managed to mutter a few curses under their breath.

"The boy never seemed like an idiot, and with the people he lives with, it is only expected that he excel like he has," added a dark hair Chunin who was leaning against the wall.

"That is true, but couldn't Iruka just be rigging the test for him? I mean he is banging his sister," chipped in another man, causing laughter to erupt through the room.

"I don't think Iruka is the type to do such a thing," cut in Suzume as she fixed her glasses. "If anything Iruka has been harder on Naruto then the rest of us, and only expects the best from the boy," finished the brunette as she moved her hair behind her ears. "Besides, when the Kunoichi get together, I'll be sure to tell her you said that Tsuba, and you know how she gets when people bad mouth her," threatened the homely teacher.

"You might be right Suzume, but why the sudden jump in his grades," questioned another man.

"None of us really paid attention to him before. When he first joined many of us mocked him for being the mute "_thing"_, and we used that as a way to take out our anger on him. As time went by some of us got to know the true boy and others continued to hate him. Now that he can verbally interact, we see another side of him that was hidden away from us. He is fairly smart and if you spent time listening or talking to him you would know. Last semester though he was going through some rather harsh emotional times, and slacked off in his work. Right now though he is focused on what he wants, and will not let any of us get in his way. How he is doing right now is based on all of his experiences from the time he was five till now," answered Iruka as he walked into the room with a smug smile on his face. Out of many of the instructors at the Academy, only a few ever took the time to get to know Naruto.

"Very well said Iruka-sempai. I know I've gotten to know him rather well over the years, and know a few things many would not believe about him. One of the most shocking might be that he supplies many of the flowers I use for my special classes, and he seems to be hold a great amount of knowledge about the language of flowers," said Suzume as she greeted Iruka and further confused others about Naruto.

"Now If the talk of my love life, and the lack of supervision done by some of you where Naruto is concerned is over we have some results to go over."

**

* * *

**

It was now time for the part of the test that would make or break many people, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. For some both parts would be a breeze, and to others one of the parts could spell their doom. For Naruto the Genjutsu portion would be the hardest part.

Even with all of his instruction he still had a hard time seeing through or casting Genjutsu. He had tried to learn even the most basics ones only to fail horribly. He soon found out it was near hopeless for him, and only confirmed that when Hiashi informed him that he just had too much chakra for such techniques.

When he spoke with Tsunade on the subject she gave him a lecture on the finer aspects of Genjutsu. One key thing was that while Genjutsu took very little chakra, compared to most Ninjutsu, it required a great deal of control. Naruto's control was fine, but as he remembered from his first transformation, his chakra was just too dense for something as fine as Genjutsu. With that he mind he focused on being able to see through an counter Genjutsu. This turned out to be the easiest thing he had done.

With Hikari residing inside of him seeing through a Genjutsu proved to be rather easy. What fooled Naruto was not likely to fool her, and when that happened, she could release a small burst of her own energy and break the spell. He sadly considered this cheating himself and the system in a way. For testing purposes he would not allow himself to cheat and depend upon his sister's help. Against an enemy though, he would pull out all of the stops.

The next step for him was to obviously find a way that did not depend on Hikari but on his own skills. Stumped, he went to Sarutobi and asked his opinion on what to do, and ended up finding an answer. The Hokage had told Naruto that the best way to see through an illusion was to make himself familiar with reality. When looking around at things, he should take in a detailed picture and remember each detail of the terrain. Doing this would make it easier to see small imperfections in some techniques and allow him to break through with the basic command. If that didn't work then there was always the tried and true method, and one Naruto was familiar with the results of, pain.

So Naruto was a bundle of nerves as he awaited for his turn to demonstrate his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu capabilities. The only thing he really worried about was how they would view the few "Genjutsu" he could perform. He of course had another part to worry about, but hopefully his small loophole would handle that.

As if on cue his name was called out, and he walked out of the room to the examination room. He followed the Chunin quietly, and only spared a few glances at the people he passed in the hall. There were a large number of Chunin present at the Academy for the testing and even a few Jonin could be seen in the shadows. With the lack of noise in the building it was easy to tell that only those taking part in the graduation exam had come in, and the other students were given the day off.

He nearly knocked his guide down when the Chunin paused outside a door to knock, but thankfully he caught himself in time and avoided angering the man any more then he already was. Walking in the room he could easily see Iruka, Suzume, Danzo, Kurenai, and several other Chunin.

'_Great, they are going to have her use Genjutsu techniques on me; this should be loads of fun'_ muttered Naruto internally as he stood in front of the examiners.

"Uzumaki Naruto for the first portion of your Ninjutsu exam you are required to perform the **Henge no Jutsu,** create four Bunshin,and perform the **Kawarimi no Jutsu.** You may begin when you are ready and perform in what ever order you wish. Keep in mind that for the Henge you need to transform into a person in this room,"droned out Danzo as he shuffled papers with his one good arm.

With that said Naruto performed a Henge and transformed into a perfect copy of Danzo himself; complete with full scowl and attitude. After being told to turn around, speak, and walk, he was told to dispel the technique and continue with the test. He next performed the replacement technique, and awed many people by doing this without the use of hand seals. He shrugged off the look of awe from the people, and fought to keep from yelling at how stupid they looked. He was down to creating four clones now, and he could only hope that his loop hole panned out for him.

"Now just create four clones, and you will be finished with this portion of the exam," said Iruka as he looked on. The only sign Naruto heard him was the slow nodding of his head, and the slow build up of chakra in his body. Then in a cloud of smoke four clones of Naruto appeared in the room, and many of the poorly trained Chunin missed the signs of something physically _landing_ where the clones were created.

Seeing this, and hearing the sound caused Danzo to frown and motion for one of the Chunin to go and inspect what seemed like perfect copies of Naruto. The Chunin walked forward like an obedient lap dog and circled the clones created. Once he was back to where he started, he moved to poke one of the clones, and was shocked when the clone he poked cracked up laughing holding where it was poked.

"Don't (HAHAH) poke me (HAHAH) there! HAHA, I'm sorry its just (HAHA) that I'm REALLY ticklish there," yelled the clone as it started laughing hysterically.

"Uzumaki, what is the meaning of this," yelled the Chunin named Tsuba from along the wall.

"What, all I was told to do was create four clones. No one said it couldn't be a Kage Bunshin, but if you don't want those then," as he trailed off he dismissed his clones, and in their place four puddles of water appeared and started to take the shape of Naruto. Seconds later the group was looking at another four replicas of the young blonde. "Then I can make Mizu Bunshin for you guys," added Naruto and his clones simultaneously.

Iruka had to fight to keep the smile off of his face, and Kurenai took to hiding her face behind a hand. Others in the room were muttering and asking just what he thought he was doing. Danzo himself seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face that only continued to deepen as the seconds ticked away.

"Look I can tell you guys are mad about me not making regular Bunshin, but the rules and Danzo-sama never said I _had_ to make _regular_ Bunshin. I just had to create four functional Bunshin for this part of the test. As you can see I can do that with Mizu and Kage Bunshin; so there is no reason for me to even bother with a normal Bunshin."

"He is correct, and that little problem shall be fixed by the time the next exam occurs. Thank you for being so kind to point that out to us Uzumaki," cut in Danzo as the Chunin around the room were about to yell out their arguments. His steely gaze was enough to silence most words before they left the mouths of their owners.

"Naruto, please display any and all techniques, if you wish to perform all of them, that you can perform outside of the basics ones from the Academy," ordered Iruka as he took the reigns away from Danzo.

'_Okay… I know I can't do the _**Kiri Gakure no Jutsu,**_ since that would give away what I did last year, and at the monument. My Suiton techniques are too destructive and so are my Futon techniques. I do have that one though, and I owe Iruka-sensei some major payback for scarring me for life.'_

"_**Just what are you planning Otouto,"**_ questioned Hikari from the back of his mind.

'_Remember how I said I was going to get you, Anko-nee-chan, Baa-chan, and Shizune-nee-chan back? Well this is what I planned on doing for the most part, but for you there is something else I wanted to add,'_ answered Naruto. As his words died down, the lights of his mindscape slowly started to fade away, leaving Hikari is total darkness. Slowly, the lights of the mindscape turned back on, and briefly blinded Hikari to her surroundings.

As her eyes adjusted she suddenly became very aware of several things. The first thing was that all of the walls and ceiling were now orange, and had the words _Icha Icha Paradise_ written in big blue letters. Below that was a girl in a towel running from a man, and from what she could see both were either nude or half nude.

"_**Otouto,"**_ growled out Hikari as the "walls" flipped to another page. Slowly the pages continued to flip, causing her cheeks to brighten more and more with each page. It wasn't long before she started to match a colored formerly favored only by Hinata.

'_Told you payback would be a pain,'_ thought Naruto as he cut his thoughts and focused on his newest technique.

"**Oiroke no Jutsu** (Sexy Technique)," shouted Naruto as he was obscured by a cloud of ninja smoke. Many of the people were confused by the name of the technique, but one felt a cold chill run down his back at the words spoken by Naruto. Slowly the smoke started to reveal what it was hiding from the world.

The first thing that everyone could see was what looked like a head of silver hair, and even in the light of the small room it shined like rays of moonlight. The next thing they could see was a whisker marked face; one that looked perfectly round, and held a button nose and crimson eyes. Her lips seemed to captivate people as they formed a small frown across the porcelain like skin. Most of the men in the room slowly started to feel something buildup as they continued to watch the smoke dance around the figure.

As the smoke continued to dance, it seemed to wrap around a very girlish figure. They could now see that her silver mane reached down to the middle of her back. She had a slim and yet rather athletic body; one that Iruka noticed right away was VERY similar to Anko's own body. The only major difference was that the skin tone of the creature in front of him reminded him more of moonlight, and not the tanned tone of his lover.

As the smoke continued to warp and shift around the figure, they could see her spinning slightly, causing her hair to ripple and shine in the light coming in from the windows. No one paid any attention to that though as he come to a stop, and caused her ample chest to rock back and forth. Even though they couldn't see everything they each started to form their own mental pictures.

As Kurenai looked on incredulous at the stunt Naruto pulled; she could see all of the men in the room flying back with massive nosebleeds. She watched as even the stoic Danzo was thrown back against the wall, and sat there dazed. By the time Naruto released the technique only three people were standing in the room; Naruto, Suzume, and Kurenai.

"NARUTO," screamed both Suzume and Kurenai as they charged the boy, and scared every person in Konoha with their shout. Shortly after having his named screamed, the entire village of Konoha could hear shouts of pain as the two enraged Kunoichi got a hold of the laughing blond.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later that everyone in the room was revived and thinking clearly. Several men had a relapse at what they had seen earlier, and were escorted to the hospital for loss of blood. Once a resemblance of order had been reached, Iruka could be seen glaring and Naruto, and swearing a slow death on the boy later that day. The impact of the glare was slightly lessened by the fact that he, and every other man in the room had tissues plugging up their noses.

"Very creative Naruto," muttered Iruka.

"It is one of the few techniques I can show you indoors. My other ones are kind of destructive and you have already seen my Mizu and Kage Bunshin," stated Naruto as he scratched the back of his head with a very fox like smile on his face.

"Then if you are done with the Ninjutsu portion, we can move on to Genjutsu," muttered Danzo as he fought the urge to scream at the boy. Smiling evilly, Kurenai stepped forward and glowered down at the blond in front of her. Without waiting for any word to start, she went through a rapid series of hand seals and whispered the name of her technique.

_Naruto looked around as he appeared in the middle of Konoha, and around him were several building set ablaze. He watched as people were struck down around him by some unseen force in the shadows. Fearing for his family and friends, he took off down the streets and alleys of Konoha in search of them. The first place he came across was the Academy building._

_The Academy grounds was littered with the dead bodies of the instructors and several civilians. As he numbly walked through the carnage he could see several faces that he recognized from his class._

_Kiba had a hole through his chest, and his eyes and mouth were frozen for eternity in horror and anguish. His blood seemed to have completely left his body and painted the ground of Konoha a sick deep crimson color. As Naruto walked over he could hear a soft whimpering sound coming from the still body of his friend. As he approached to search out the sound, he could see the small white body of Akamaru gently nudging his master's hand._

_The small Nin-ken struggled to wake his master; even though he himself appeared to be gravely injured. Naruto could see the pint sized pup flinch when he tried to pet the animal. Sensing no hostile intentions, the dog looked up to Naruto with wide glazed over eyes, searching for help. When he seemed to recognize who was there, he cried out, wishing for the blonde to get his master to wake up._

"_I'm sorry Akamaru, I can't do anything… I wish I could," said Naruto as he moved to pick up the small dog. Even as he moved to pick the animal up he had to jump back to avoid a storm of weapons that skewered the body of Kiba and Akamaru. The dog let out a high yelp and whimpered as his life slowly drained out of him, and any hope of him living was crushed._

_Looking to where the weapons came sailing from Naruto could see a pair of pale yellow eyes, with reptilian slits in the center of them. The eyes seemed to be solely focused on him, and remained unblinking for several long minutes. The evil eyes finally showed signs of life as the looked off to the side, and seeing this Naruto followed the path of the eyes and froze when he say what the evil eyes had found interesting._

_In front of the creature with the eyes was the bodies of everyone Naruto ever held precious. His friends and family were laid out in front of him, and in some cases parts of their bodies were missing. In other cases he could see the insides of their bodies from the wounds delivered to them. One thing in common though was that each of them were frozen in terror._

"_Kukuku Naruto-kun," laughed a malicious voice before Naruto screamed out in rage and charged. The shadowy figure danced around the erratic attacks of the blonde, and continued to laugh at his futile attempts to injure him. "You should have seen your precious Hinata-chan as she fought me. Even with her dieing breath she still held onto the hope that you would come and save her and the rest," Naruto was about to charge again when something clicked in his mind._

'This can't be real… I was just in a room with Kurenai-sensei and Iruka-Sensei… What was I doing there? GRADUATION! This is part of the exam, a GENJUTSU,'_ yelled Naruto as he started to focus his Chakra and concentrate it to break out of this nightmare world. _

As if he had suddenly woke up from a nightmare Naruto stumbled forward from where he was standing. As he caught himself he looked around the room to see where he was, and was relieved to see himself back in the Academy building. His smile grew as he noticed that Iruka _was_ still very much alive and looking at him oddly.

"Man Kurenai-sensei, that was one hell of a Genjutsu you put on me," complemented Naruto as he straightened himself out. His comment though surprised everyone in the room as they all looked at him oddly.

"Naruto I only used a very basic Genjutsu on you. The only thing that should have occurred was everyone in the room vanishing from sight," answered Kurenai and sounded very concerned.

'_What the hell? That was NOT what happened to me… It was like my worst fear had come to life and haunted me,'_ muttered Naruto.

"_**I am going to kill you the first chance I get Otouto… You are correct though, what Kurenai did was not what was done to you. I believe you were placed in two Genjutsu and only one of them came from Kurenai,"**_ answered Hikari as she tried to fight down the blush on her cheeks.

"Lets move on with this exam, and finish with this year's Graduation," cut in Danzo before anything else could be said on the subject. "Show us any Genjutsu skills you might have Uzumaki-san," ordered Danzo as he focused on Naruto. Smiling, Naruto slowly vanished in front of everyone, causing Iruka to scowl at where Naruto once stood.

'_He is using that for his Genjutsu,'_ screamed the irate teacher internally as Naruto's voice echoed around the room.

"Can anyone find me? I don't think you can when I use this technique in conjunction with **Utsusemi no Jutsu **(Projection Technique) it becomes nearly impossible to find me," taunted Naruto as his voiced echoed around the room.

"Very good Naruto, now come on out and stand in front of the judges," called out Iruka. He was startled though when Naruto suddenly appeared behind him, and yelled out his name. After throwing the blonde across the table he settled back down in his chair and looked down at his papers.

"Naruto, with your performance here, I believe Danzo-sama and the others can agree that you are fit to Graduate with your friends. It is with great honor that I give you your Hitaiate; may you wear it proudly and bring honor to Konoha," said Iruka with a smile on his face as he threw the headband to the boy across from him.

Even Suzume and Kurenai seemed to brighten up as the boy caught the headband and started to cheer wildly and dance around the room. He would have continued had Iruka not reminded him that others still needed to finish their exams.

"One last thing Naruto. Be sure to be here in the regular class room three days from now at ten in the morning to see which team you will be placed on. Before then though you have to get your photo taken for the Registration book, and answer a few questions. DO NOT BE LATE," yelled Iruka, being sure that Naruto understood the last part of his message.

* * *

The three days passed quickly for Naruto and his friends. Each of them had done what was required and registered at the office of the Hokage; this had been the first thing they each did on the very first day. After that they celebrated with each other and relaxed until their final day of freedom was used up. So it was with a bit of reluctance on each of their parts that they made their way to the Academy to see what teams they would finally be placed on to begin their Shinobi careers. 

As each of them walked into the class room, they were mildly surprised to see that just over half of the class had graduated out of the fifty students that took the test. Looking around though they were not surprised by someone of the faces they saw.

They each had managed to take their seats as Iruka walked into the room and set a pile of papers down on his desk at the front of the room. He spent several minutes shuffling through the papers as he made his former students wait patiently for what he had to say.

"You know why you are all here, and I have to say that I am proud of each and every one of you. I've watched as many of you have grown and changed over the years, and I can honestly say I am proud to have been witness to the growth of such amazing students. Now though you will be leaving my care and heading out into a world filled with danger at every turn. You may be afraid of some of the things you see, and no one in their right mind would blame you for such thoughts," said Iruka as he broke the tense silence that had fallen on the room. He looked around and briefly locked eyes with each of his former pupils, and calmly nodded to let them know he would always be with them.

"Now as tradition goes, you will be broken up into three man teams. I want you all to remember that the strength of Konohagakure no Sato comes not from the individual leaves of the tree, but from the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves working together to make the entire village strong. If one of us falls, there will always be someone there to help pick us back up. Now listen for your names to be called, and your team number," added Iruka as he picked up a clipboard from behind him. And so he started to call out the names of students, and their team numbers. Most people paid little heed to what he was saying, and only listened in when a friend or their own name was called out.

"You know Naruto, even though you had the best grades on the Graduation exam…"

"You don't need to tell me Shikamaru."

"Sorry Naruto-kun, I really wished we could have been on a team together,"

"Don't worry Hinata-chan. At least Sakura isn't like how she used to be; so I should be able to handle it."

"Uh Naruto, you do know who might end up as the Sensei for your team right," asked Choji as he looked at his blonde friend. Everyone that knew him could see the confusion, realization, and then pure anger run across his face as he thought about who would be the Jonin Instructor for the team. Thankfully before he could yell out Iruka's voice cut in calling out the team that Naruto would be placed in.

"Team 7's members are Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. Your Jonin instructor will be here… Um well he will be here some time today. Team 8 will consist of Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba," Iruka paused as Kiba jumped up and shouted in Naruto's face.

"HAH! I'm with Hinata and you get stuck with pinky," yelled the dog boy. His faithful partner, Akamaru, was shaking his head the entire time Kiba was going on about beating Naruto. When he finally settled down he look at Naruto and the others sitting with him to see their reaction. What he saw only pissed him off even more as each of them had tuned him out, and weren't even looking in his direction.

"Huh? Oh did you say something Kiba? I was too busy asking Hinata-chan where she wanted to go tonight after we meet our teams," said Naruto casually. As he said it with a straight face, and a bored tone, everyone in the room erupted into laughter as Kiba growled and turned around to look back at Iruka.

"Thank you Kiba… Where was I now. Ah yes, Team 9 is still in circulation from a couple of years ago so I'll skip to Team 10. Team 10 will be made up of Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. Your Jonin instructor should be here in thirty minutes. Everyone wait here, and get to know your new team members. The Jonin who will be by to pick you up and introduce themselves to you. Now if you will excuse me, I need to fill out some paperwork at the Hokage's Office," and with those parting words Iruka left the room. Once he was gone all of the Genin hopefuls broke off into their new respective teams.

**

* * *

**

"You can't be serious Hokage-sama! There is no way I will take on that boy as a student," shouted a silver haired Jonin as he slammed his hands down on a heavy wooden desk.

Around the room other Jonins and Chunin narrowed their eyes at the man. Among them was Maito Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, Asuma Sarutobi, Mitarashi Anko, Morino Ibiki, Shizune, and the parents of the current Ino-Shika-Cho generation. Beside the Hokage stood his two loyal students and even they were glaring at the man in front of them.

"Kakashi I will only say this once. The teams are final but believe me, if I COULD change the teams I would be more then happy to remove Naruto. I may end up worrying about him more then usual with him being supervised by you. That I why I am making this known right now. Should he come to any harm from you that could be considered excessive force, I will slap you down to the rank of Genin faster then Arashi could move with his prized Jutsu," and as the Sandaime spoke he started to rise from his seat, and seemed to tower over the Nin opposite of him. The aura he was giving off was enough to cause even Tsunade and Jiraiya to tremble from their spots behind him. "I overlooked the infractions while you were in ANBU watching over him. Now though I regret that choice as it seems to have turned him completely away from ever learning any kind of Katon technique. This will be your last chance to prove yourself as a Shinobi Hatake, and if you fail you will only disgrace the memory of Arashi and the other members of your team who fought for what Konoha stood for."

Everyone was frozen by the words of the Hokage, and even some of the implications those words carried. Some were held in place by disgust and others pure anger; none more so then Jiraiya, Tsunade, Anko and Ibiki. They were each seen visibly shaking with barely suppressed anger as the Hokage finished his declaration.

The Shinobi in question stood there slightly frozen by the words of the Hokage. He felt torn inside, part uncaring about what happened, and the other part disgusted with himself. The latter part never seemed to exist in him though until the mention of his deceased Sensei, teammate, and his lost friend. So it was without saying a word that he nodded his head in understanding and vanished in a cloud of smoke. It didn't take a genius to know where he was off to; everyone knew where he went to sulk after long missions or when things never went his way.

"That could have gone better," muttered the Sandaime as he slowly sank back into his plush leather chair. The entire time he was rubbing the bridge of his nose with run hand, and skillfully removing and backing his pipe with the other. Those around the room could only nod as the tense atmosphere was suddenly shattered by the behavior of their leader.

**

* * *

**

"_**You do know I still owe you one Naru-chan," **_said Hikari for what seemed like the thousandth time. Ever since he revealed his newest jutsu, and put her through Icha Icha hell, she never passed the chance up to make his life miserable.

'_Yeah, and if you don't want Ero-Sennin to see the new jutsu you will keep the punishment to a minimum,"_ shot back Naruto as he smiled at the horror struck look on his sister's face.

"_**You would do that to two people you consider to be a sister,"**_ asked Hikari with a pout on her face. Seeing that Naruto had someone managed to read several copies of the infamous _Icha Icha Paradise_ wasn't a harsh enough punishment, being used as a model would be the death sentence. She could hardly believe that Naruto had combined her and Anko's looks for such a perverted technique. Despite her question though she received nothing but silence from her host and brother.

Naruto on the other hand was laughing to himself on the outside as he pictured her pouting and storming around inside of his Mindscape. He knew it was a cheap shot, but to keep himself from being killed by Anko and Hikari he would be more then willing to make empty threats. The only thing he had to do was make sure they never found that out.

"Gah, where is this guy," screamed Sakura as she punched the desk she was sitting at. Naruto smiled as it crumbled under her assault, and Sasuke could only gape at what the pink haired Kunoichi did.

"Meh, don't worry too much Sakura-chan. The guy is probably sulking about at the Memorial right now. He is always late to everything unless it is for one of Ero-Sennin's perverted books," called out Naruto as he fought back the laughter at her shocked face. "If that wasn't bad enough, he walks around reading it in public; even when little kids or females are around," added Naruto as Sakura started to tremble.

'_If I keep this up Inner-Sakura is likely to great Kakashi-teme.'_

Over the past two hours Naruto and Sakura had caught up on how things were going in their lives. Sakura talked about how she had started working at the hospital as an apprentice Med-nin, and was more then happy to have earned some extra money to help out her mother. She did go back to her old gossiping self when she started to ask Naruto about Hinata and how they got together.

While blushing, he just commented that they haven't kissed or anything like that yet. All they had done was walk around the forest and Konoha holding hands, and often enough they were joined by Hinata's little sister, Hanabi. Occasionally after their little "dates" (as Sakura called them) they would hug each other good bye and promise to see each other the next day or later that day. Despite his protests, Sakura still pushed for details until it became clear that there was nothing else to get from the fox like boy.

After the discussion of their lives and catching up both of them tried to engage their other team mate in conversation. Instead they never got anything other then an "Hn" from the raven haired boy, or a snide remark about their abilities. Slowly the two stopped bugging the boy and focused on preparing themselves for their Sensei. That had been an hour after the other teams had left, and now they had been waiting for nearly three hours.

"To think I quit pulling pranks on this guy because I felt sorry for him," muttered Naruto as minutes continued to tick away. In front of him Sakura could only giggle behind her hand at the tone Naruto said that in, and silently agreed with the blonde. It wasn't long after that the door to the room started to slide open and revealed a silver haired one eye Jonin with an orange book in his hand.

As he started to raise his hand in greeting to his students, Naruto couldn't help but laugh as Sakura's frame started to shake and here hands crushed the desk she had moved to previously. Right as it looked like the man was about to talk Sakura shouted out and pointed an accusing finger to the man.

"**ERO-SENSEI,"** screeched the pink haired medic-nin. Kakashi for his part just stood there stunned that the girl who was being trained by Tsunade, and praised for her skills would ever show such disrespect towards a superior. At the same time Naruto was rolling on the floor laughing as Sakura continued to fume, and Sasuke just watched on seemingly uninterested in what was going on around him.

"Hm, how should I say this," asked the man in a lazy tone. "My first impression of you guys… Well I don't exactly look forward to this," muttered Kakashi as he turned to leave the room. "Meet me on the roof of the Academy in five minutes," and with those final words the man vanished in a cloud of smoke. Even as Kakashi appeared on the room of the Academy he could hear Sakura's frustrated shout and Naruto's laughter.

Minutes later his three prospective new students could be seen coming up the stairs that led to the roof. As the walked over to them he took the time to observe the group, and gauge their mood after his tardiness and remarks.

'_The girl seems to be the most upset about all of this. I wonder why she shouted out Ero-Sensei though; I mean I've never met her before. Maybe the vessel was telling here a few things about me._ He does know my worst traits better then anyone sadly._ Where the hell did that come from,'_ thought Kakashi. What was strange about the thoughts though was the sudden voice of guilt that popped up towards the end.

'_Sasuke seems used to my behavior now even though he would piss and moan when I first started to train him. I'm surprised though that he was able to keep his cool the entire time. The vessel_, Naruto,_ seems to be taking this the easiest. I suppose all the time we interacted, _I screwed him over_, in the past has hardened him to my behavior,'_ thought the legendary Copy Nin. He was still confused though as a voice kept popping up in his thoughts that seemed different from his own. Shrugging it off, he closed his book and focused on the three Genin as they sat down in front of him.

"Nice of you all of join me. In order to get to know you I'd like for each of you to introduce yourselves to me. This should also help you get to know each other more as well; so tell me things that you like, dislike, hobbies, and dreams for the future if you have any. I could start things off if you would like," said Kakashi as the three settled in. To his surprise though it wasn't Naruto who started to talk first but Sakura who quickly started to shake her head and cross her arms in a warding gesture.

"No thanks Sensei, I think I know more then enough about you already," said Sakura as she nearly stumbled over her own words.

"Fine, but at least call me Kakashi-sensei. Since you are so eager though why don't you start things."

"May name is Haruno Sakura. I like helping people at the hospital and spending time with my friends when I'm not working. If I'm not doing either of those things I enjoy studying medicine and training. I hate perverts and people who mock others because of their genes," here Sakura paused to cover her forehead more with her hair. "I used to have a certain dream but I think I've gotten a new one," she paused again as she briefly looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. "My new dream is to become a great Med-Nin like Tsunade-sama and make her proud of the work I can do."

'_That is a surprise; her records showed her being obsessed with Sasuke in the past. I suppose though her training with Tsunade-sama has changed her and opened her eyes to the duty of a Med-nin and Kunoichi.'_

"Those are admirable goals Sakura. Now how about you Sasuke," asked Kakashi. The Uchiha only tented his hands and rested his head behind them as he gazed at his instructor. It was only after a minute had passed that he started to talk.

"I have no reason to tell you my likes, dreams or hobbies. I do not have a dream but an ambition. I wish to train to be able to kill a certain person from my past," finished Sasuke in a cold tone of voice. Beside him Sakura could only shake her head in disbelief and Naruto seemed to be doing the very same thing.

'_Itachi this, Itachi that. If that moron keeps letting Itachi run his life then he won't be able to do anything in life,' _were the thoughts of Naruto.

'_I had hoped that I worked that out of his mind by now._ Then again I never really tried to teach him anything but jutsu._ Hopefully being on a team helps him some,'_ thought Kakashi as he pondered the strange new voice that continued to pop up in his mind. He turned to his last student and fought back the sneer and the glare that threatened to overtake his features. Before he could even say anything though Naruto had already started to talk about himself.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like Hinata-chan and all of my friends. I love my sisters, Baa-chan, and Iruka-sensei. I also like training, ramen, dango, Aniki's cooking, and playing pranks on people who deserve them. I guess Ero-Sennin fits in here somewhere but sometimes I wonder why I tolerate him. I dislike people who insult others because of a physical disability or because of something beyond their control. I also hate a certain Inu-teme who is fairly crappy at his job.

"My hobbies include pulling pranks, working metal, and making my special explosive weapons. I'm still working on a little something special for battling water based Shinobi who enjoy attacking from under water. My dreams have changed from when I was little. I used to want to only be Hokage and protect everyone I held precious. Now though before I can become Hokage I want to find my Kaa-san wherever she may be out in the world," finished Naruto as he adjusted his Hitaiate that hung around his neck. He smiled as he remembered who else wore their Hitaiate in a similar fashion but for a different reason.

Hinata wore her Hitaiate around her neck as part of clan tradition. Main House members of the Hyuga clan would were their headbands on any place but on their foreheads. They were to keep their foreheads visible in pride of being one of the Main members of the Hyuga clan. The Branch House though would often wear their headbands over their foreheads in an effort to cover their shame of the biased views of the Hyuga clan. Naruto though wore his around his neck for a different reason. He wore his as added protection against people seeing the nasty scar that was on the front of his neck. It also gave him less of a reason to wear high collared or turtle neck shirts.

'_As expected from him, but I wonder how much of that is a lie._ How much of what you know about him is just you fooling yourself,' Kakashi shook his head again hoping to shake out what ever was going on with him.

"Great, now we can get down to business. As much as you may enjoy the idea of being Genin; you have not yet officially obtained the rank. What I mean is that out of the twenty seven of you that has graduated, only nine will continue on to become full fledged Genin. To decide who continues on the Jonin were asked to perform tests to see if which of their students are ready. I will be holding mine tomorrow morning at six a.m. at Training Field 7. Others then that don't eat because you are likely to make yourselves vomit when we start," said Kakashi as he handed them sheets of paper with all of the details. He was just about to leave when he heard Naruto voice his opinion on the test.

"I think he means we will start at around nine or ten; so be sure to each a good breakfast because he will show up about four hours late and give us some crappy excuse," firmly stated the boy as he started to walk off. He left Sakura giggling and glaring at Kakashi as she followed him back into the academy. Sasuke just nodded his head and left down an opposite stairwell.

'_Tomorrow might not be as fun as I hoped it would be.'_

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** This chapter is probably the last one for this part of the story. I will probably create a new story that starts where this one left off, and contains most of the story up to the Chunin Exam and Invasion. Chapter length may be cut down as well to decrease the time it takes to update. I'm not sure when I will post the next arc, but stay tuned and check my profile for updates on the progress. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this as much I have enjoyed writing it.

**Jutsu**

**Kitsune Yo-Jutsu: Kitsune Genkaku Henge: Kai** (Fox Magic: Fox Illusion Transformation: Release):

An advance transformation technique only capable of being used by those who hold Kitsune blood in them. This allows the user to hide all demonic features, and suppresses the bulk of the demonic powers of the user. Once released, a burst of Youki is released, and shrouds the demon within. During this time, the demon will transform into their true form, and gain the abilities of that body. Only those sensitive to such powers would be able to tell if a person was using this technique to hide themselves.

**Hakke Kusho **(Eight Trigrams Empty Palm):

This jutsu is similar in practice to **Hakkesho Kaiten **(Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin) but has a specific target rather than a general area. To perform it, the user does a palm thrust at an opponent while expelling a large burst of chakra from their palm. This violently pushes the opponent away. The opponent does not need to be within reach of the user for the attack to be effective.

**Hakkesho Kaiten **(Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin):

This jutsu utilizes the chakra control gained through Gentle Fist training to release a huge amount of chakra from the user's chakra points when struck. The released chakra blocks any possible attack. The user then spins themselves rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any would-be attackers.

**Doton: Yomi Numa **(Earth Release Swamp of the Underworld):

This technique turns a large area of land into a sinking swampland, making it impossible for anyone or anything in that area to move around. The size of the swamp is proportionate to the amount of chakra used to perform the technique.

**Raikou Bunshin** (Lightning Clone):

This is Kumogakure no Saito's answer to the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It creates a clone made up of pure lightning, and is capable of acting independent of the creator. This Bunshin is capable of attacking and performing techniques, just like the Kage Bunshin. The main appeal of this technique to many Kumo Shinobi is that it can cause damage to any attacker when it is destroyed in combat.

**Kagemane no Jutsu** / Shadow Imitation Technique:

The signature move of the Nara family, the user's shadow is extended to touch the opponent's shadow, combining them. This links the movements of the user with the target; the target is subsequently forced to make any movement the user makes. It is an extremely versatile technique, as the user can contract and change the shape of their shadow, potentially grabbing multiple targets at once. Using the shadows of other objects, the user can also extend their shadow beyond its normal range. The amount of time for which an opponent can be held is limited by the user's chakra, since the user must constantly maintain the jutsu. Additionally, the target can force their way free with enough effort, though a considerable amount of effort is required to do so.

**Shunshin no Jutsu **(Body Flicker Technique):

This jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily boost the user's reflexes. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance between the user and their intended destination.

**Raiton: Raijin Sabaki** (Lightning Release: Lightning God's Judgment):

A technique that is made up of two steps. The first step is to charge it, gathering an immense amount of power in the sky above the location it is intended to be used at. The clouds start to form super cells, and have been known to misfire when not used within thirty minutes of charging. When misfiring, tornados have been seen, as well as lightning storms.

The second step of the technique is when all of that pent up energy is released in a single massive bolt of lightning, capable of leveling mountains when it strikes. The Sandaime Raikage was the creator of this deadly technique, and used it on several occasions during the Kumo Konoha war. With this technique alone, he was able to destroy entire squads in the blink of an eye.

Due to the energy created and used by this attack, it is often considered a kamikaze technique. The reason for this is because even the user has a chance of being struck by stray bolts of electricity one the initial strike lands. Because of this, it has been labeled an S-Rank Jutsu, and locked away in the archives of Kumogakure no Saito.

**Futon: Kaze Nankan **(Wind Release: Kaze Barrier):

While this technique is similar to the Hyuga's Kaiten, it different in how it is performed. Instead of the users releasing their chakra from their entire body and spinning, the user of this technique releases their wind nature chakra. Using this form of Nature and Form Manipulation allows them to create a dense barrier of Wind, which will deflect, or block most attacks.

Since this forms a large dome around the user, it takes up a large amount of chakra to perform. It also requires a great deal of control and an affinity to Wind natured chakra to be able to perform effectively.

**Utsusemi no Jutsu **(Projection Technique):

Using this jutsu, the user can project their voice from various points in a specific area in a manner similar to ventriloquism. The user does not need to speak to transmit the sound, so tracking them by sound is impossible. Those in the area where the voice is being projected at will hear a resonating echo, as well as a more ominous undertone.


	13. Survival Test

-1'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

**Previously**

"Great, now we can get down to business. As much as you may enjoy the idea of being Genin, you have not yet officially obtained the rank. What I mean is that out of the twenty-seven of you that has graduated, only nine will continue on to become full-fledged Genin. To decide who continues on the Jonin were asked to perform tests to see if which of their students are ready. I will be holding mine tomorrow morning at six a.m. at Training Field 7. Others then that don't eat because you are likely to make yourselves vomit when we start," said Kakashi as he handed them sheets of paper with all of the details. He was just about to leave when he heard Naruto voice his opinion on the test.

"I think he means we will start at around nine or ten; so be sure to each a good breakfast because he will show up about four hours late and give us some crappy excuse," firmly stated the boy as he started to walk off. He left Sakura giggling and glaring at Kakashi as she followed him back into the academy. Sasuke just nodded his head and left down an opposite stairwell.

* * *

**Survival Test**

After taking such a big step in life there is something that has become somewhat of a tradition in the village of Konoha. That tradition was of course the obligatory party for those who had graduated from Academy student to the rank of Genin. Yes, even though it was not known if they would be true Genin, the traditional graduation party was something that no family missed.

Of course living in a house with three people who look for any chance to enjoy alcohol and a good time didn't hurt matters any.

That was the current situation Naruto and his friends found themselves in on the night they were assigned their teams. It was their final chance to wish each other good luck. To some it was also the chance to mourn over not being on someone's team. To others it was also the chance to pull a friend aside and ask them to watch over those they cared for on that person's team. Most of all though is was their one chance to relax and enjoy themselves before their lives moved down a new and uncertain path.

So while the adults and parents were drinking and laughing the night away, the kids were gathered in the rooftop garden. Everyone seemed to be slightly uneasy, even though they were supposed to be celebrating. The conversations were normally short, or left hanging in the air as the future generation of Shinobi contemplated just what this next step in life would bring to them. All of this only because they remembered the events that occurred many months ago within their own village.

Several times one of them would open their mouths to say something and then quickly shut them once all eyes settled on them. The atmosphere even seemed to disturb the ones who were normally very talkative. Had they not all been caught up in their thoughts they might have smiled or laughed at the fact that both Ino and Sakura had effectively been muzzled. It was because of this heavy silence that nearly all of them jumped when the least likely person broke the uneasy atmosphere with his deep voice.

"I normally enjoy such silence but this has become unbearable," stated Shino evenly as all eyes locked onto him. It was true though.

He had grown used to the way his new friends would talk back and forth with each other. The way they would joke amongst themselves had become something he could tolerate. To see them all subdued, as they were just seemed unnatural to him. To see all of them with the sullen look on their faces shook him to his core, though he would hardly admit to it.

Shino was pleased though as he saw his words take root in the minds of everyone present. Stunned faces turned into smiles as they all thought about how they had been acting. Some looked guilty about their behavior, but let it pass as they brushed it aside in favor of things that are more important. The Aburame was pleased when he heard laughter break out among the would-be Genin sitting in the garden. The friends gathered there that day would remember as Shino telling his first "joke".

"Thanks Shino, I guess we all needed that," said Naruto through fits of laughter. It was hard for him at first but slowly he and the rest of those gathered started to regain control of themselves and actual conversation sparked up. This time though things were more lively for all of those present.

"Looks like you got your wish Sakura," said Ino at one point while talking to her pink haired friend. "You are on a team with Sasuke, and you know Naruto won't bug you since he has Hinata," added the blonde-haired woman as she saw the questioning look from her friend. She could only smile though as the girl across from her fought to keep from spitting out the drink she had just taken a sip from.

"Its not like that any more Ino," nearly screamed the girl as she straightened up and glared at her friend.

"So you mean to say you've given up all feelings for him in such a short amount of time," asked Ino as she watched her friend closely. It had been a touchy issue once before, but now it seemed as if things had changed.

Sakura stood there with her glass of punch in hand, as she thought over what she was being asked. She had once been what some would call blindly devoted to the Uchiha but that started changing when she started to work with Tsunade and got to know the others in her class. During that time she also got to see a side of everyone that had remained hidden from her, and some of the things she saw hurt and astounded her.

Among the things she had learned while studying under Tsunade was a private record on Sasuke. The record was being looked over by the Sannin, but left out in the open "accidentally" after she had left to oversee a patient's surgery. The record, to her surprise, was a complete check of Sasuke's mental condition. The newest entry seemed to have been from a doctor who performed what had become a routine psychological exam of the sole Uchiha in Konoha after the events of his childhood. Knowing all of this the girl started to read the files with the hope of getting to know her crush better. She did get to know him better, and what she had learned would change her views of the boy.

"I know you want me to say I've given up all hopes of winning his heart but I can't say that yet Ino. I won't give up on him just yet. I'm just going to have to take mine time and hopefully he will see that there are other things that are important in life besides revenge," answered Sakura finally as her hair hid her face from scrutiny.

The other girl could only sigh at hearing the words of her lost, and then found friend. It was a step in the right direction, which she admitted begrudgingly. It might have been better though if the pink hair Kunoichi could have forgotten all about him and moved on, much like she was trying to do.

While she didn't have the information Sakura did, Ino had learned more then a few things from her father. One of those things was a brief and yet intense introduction to psychology, something that she knew was important to her families' special abilities. With training, and her newfound understanding of people, brought on by Choji, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Naruto, she started to look at things differently. More importantly she looked at the person she had thought she desired to live a long life with and found out things didn't look that bright.

"Fine Sakura, but please be careful," was the last thing Ino said on the subject while smiling at her friend. Her smile only grew as she saw the understanding look on Sakura's face and the nod of agreement.

"Lets go save Tenten and Hinata from those boys now," said Sakura in an attempt to find something a little brighter to talk about. Without waiting for Ino's reply she had walked off to try and "rescue" the young Hyuga and weapon user from the evil of opposite gender.

* * *

"Stupid Ino and Sakura pulling Hinata and Tenten away," mumbled Naruto as he watched said people walk away while talking a mile a minute. 

"Let them be Naruto, you know it would have been worst for us if you tried to stop them," said Shikamaru from beside the blond. His opinion was more then a little biased though since Ino had practically thrown him into a very dangerous looking rose bush.

Choji was laughing lightly as the blond scowled at the remark made by the Nara. It was funny at times to see Naruto pout like a true child every now and then, and was something they hardly saw him do before he had reclaimed his voice. To those who knew him he was nearly a different person now that he had his voice and they honestly enjoyed the more cheerful side of the boy.

"It isn't funny Choji," said the blond indignantly, causing the Akimichi to laugh even harder. Around him others joined in the laugher, mainly Shikamaru since Shino seemed to prefer to remain silent. If they could see through the collar of his jacket though, they might have seen a ghost of a smile crossing his face.

After his little pout they started to discuss other things. They talked about training, their respective Jonin-Sensei, and of course what they would hate the most about being a Genin. For many of them what they hated and feared were rather understandable, given their character.

Shikamaru felt that he wouldn't have as much time to enjoy cloud watching. To him becoming a Genin was going to be troublesome, and having Ino on his team only added to that problem. Aside from the hounding he would get from Ino he knew that his mother would become just as eager to "annoy" him as he felt Ino, Sakura, Tsunade, and all other females he had met to date.

Choji, well Choji wouldn't tell them what he was afraid of the most. What he did seem worried about though were the more difficult missions that they might be sent on when their team leader felt they were ready. Even with the assurance of the training they had undergone from Tsunade and Jiraiya he still held onto that fear. What seemed apparent to the others though was that the fear wasn't about his own well-being.

What seemed like an impossible task though was Shino confiding in them. To many it would have ranked up there with trying to convince Jiraiya to make a vow of celibacy. The only thing different with Shino though is that you just needed to know which buttons to push to get him talking. If there was anything that Naruto excelled at it was pushing people's buttons. So even after a great deal of coaching from the blond they managed to get what he would miss the most now that he was a Genin. His only regret was simple and yet understandable because of the clan he was heir to.

He would miss the time he spent watching, catching, and speaking with the many insects that resided in and around Konoha. He felt that his time as a Genin would hinder the time he would be able to devote attempting to breed insects and searching for the ever-elusive rare insects that made their home in and around Konoha. All of this, as stated before, was completely understandable to the other three boys that sat around him at the time. He did have many hidden regrets though.

What he didn't say though was that he would also miss the time they had spent together. Even though they may still be able to spend that time together on missions, it would not be as relaxed as it was before. In a way being befriended by Naruto and the others was perhaps one of the happiest days in his life. That place had once only been reserved for his rare finds in the insect kingdom, but was quickly replaced with the chance to spend time with his newfound friends.

He was genuinely happy that Hinata was on his team since she was one of the females of Konoha who were not disturbed by the fact that he had numerous bugs crawling under his skin. He was also annoyed at having Kiba on his team as well and knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy the company that Hinata offered. Having Kiba on the same team as himself and Hinata though also opened up several avenues for which trouble could easily brew.

When Naruto was asked about his regrets and possible fears he seemed more then willing to give answers. Like many he would miss the time he could spend with his friends, something most of them had expected. Along with that he would miss the time spent at the forge and tinkering with the many explosive ideas he had yet to see through until the end. Him being Naruto, he only hoped that all of his friends would be okay out in the world of a Shinobi. Living with people like Anko and Ibiki gave many he knew some rather interesting things that they may not have known. Shino and Naruto were the only ones out of the group of boys that knew the actual truth.

Just like Shino and more then likely Shikamaru and Choji, he had things he didn't tell them. He knew how quickly even the most routine of missions could change for the worst. The only difference between the one he was part of and others is that they might not be as lucky as he was. When thinking about Hinata that fear only magnified with the knowledge that there were _still_ people out there who wanted the Byakugan.

Perhaps though, one of the many things that made him happy to be a Genin was the chance to move around outside of the village for missions. With him having joined Anko and Ibiki on several out of village and country missions you wouldn't think that possible. That might have been true at one point as well, but that all changed when he found out that he had family living somewhere outside of the walls of Konoha.

Given their age and the way they lived, each of the felt they had every right to feel the way they did. In the time they had to speak with their respective caregivers, they also learned that they too shared their sentiment in some way shape or form. It was possible that that is what ended up making Konoha one of the strongest villages in the Shinobi world. There was a small lull in conversation when Naruto noticed that they seemed to be running out of snacks and drink up in the garden. It was under that pretense that he decided to walk over and pull Shino along with him to the kitchen.

"Hey Shino," started Naruto as they made their way downstairs and to the kitchen. The only sign that the other boy had heard him was a slight nod in Naruto's direction. "I was hoping I could ask a favor of you," added the blond softly as they made it to the ground floor of the house and moved quickly to the kitchen to avoid several drunken adults.

"I do not think you need to ask me for such a favor. I would do it even if you did not ask me. Other then that I am sure she can look out for herself," answered Shino, having guessed what Naruto would ask him.

"I know that but knowing the people that may be after her I still felt the need to ask you," responded Naruto as he moved about the kitchen to gather the required items. Setting all of snacks and beverages on the counter both him and Shino could tell it would be more then either of them could take up, even working together. With a guilty smile Naruto created several Kage Bunshin, which earned a raised eyebrow from Shino.

"Its not just in combat that I'm worried. I wanted to ask you to keep Kiba away from her during, um well private moments since we know how perverted he can be at times," said Naruto once they were on their way back upstairs.

Shino seemed to "hmm" in response and nod his head in understanding. It was one facet of Kiba's personality that he had forgotten about. It was hard not to forget about it after Kiba had been caught peeping into several restrooms and changing rooms in the past year. Given what their Sensei looked like and Kiba's infatuation with Hinata there was bound to be some occasions when the Inuzuka would tempt fate.

"I shall keep that in mind but I doubt that Kurenai-sensei would let such things happen. If he does start indulging in such behavior again I believe Kurenai-sensei will place him into several unfavorable Genjutsu to put him back in his place," was Shino's only answer as they appeared back on the roof.

* * *

_**Downstairs**_

The families of those who were friends with Naruto were gathered at the "Uzumaki" House that night to enjoy themselves and celebrate the graduation of their charges. Aside from celebrating the step into adulthood it was also meant to celebrate the newfound freedom they would have now that the "children" would not be around their respective houses as much. That was part of the reason people like Choza, Inoichi, Shikaku, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were hitting the liquor harder then most.

Because of their close relation it wasn't surprising to see the Ino-Shika-Cho trio gathered together and singing and old drinking song while raising their saucers to clink together before downing them in a single gulp. Many of the people watching wasn't sure what disturbed them the most, the singing or the dancing that the trio or men were engaged in.

Jiraiya was just as drunk as them but the white haired Sannin had a different way of showing it. With a light red hue crossing his face he had busied himself with flirting with any woman he could get within two feet of. Needless to say this left Shizune, Anko, and Kurenai very busy with avoiding the man's advances. Even while inebriated the man was extremely wary of his female teammate. That of course didn't keep him completely away from the woman he had been infatuated with for years; it just made him pay more attention to her hands and feet.

One woman though that seemed to be immune from his drunken ramblings was perhaps what many men might consider one of the strictest mothers many had ever seen. Just by mentioning her name you could motivate her husband and son into doing a great many things. At one point many would have been surprised to see her at such a party, but she had changed over time, just like many of the people there. Nara Yoshino could only watch on at the happenings around her and realize just what brought this bunch of people together.

Over the year that she had been exposed to Naruto and his family, more directly instead of the indirect exposure she had before, she found herself growing used to the boy and throwing out her previous image of the blond. He was no longer a nuisance who she felt was having a bad influence on her precious Shika-chan, but a boy who was helping mold her Shika-chan into a better person. Granted that many of these things by themselves might not have been enough to change her outlook and that was where Ibiki had come into the picture.

Many people in the village thought that the man and the woman he lived with was nothing but a cold-hearted bastard. Yoshino was able to see the warmer side of him one day when he had brought a number of scrolls over to her to read. It had been shortly after Naruto's birthday party and the discovery of the two Sannin taking part in the training of the youths. The reason he had told her for bringing over the scrolls was because he felt she needed to know the **real** Naruto, and not the image many people set in place.

The scrolls she had learned were the numerous messages he had written over the last six years of his life. From tearful remarks, to declarations of his friendship with her own sons, which she had grown to view Choji as over the years. Many were stained with water or tears as she had learned from his writings and others had small bloody finger and handprints to go along with his retellings of attacks. All in all she had felt her heart shatter at his words and the events he described. After that shattering of the heart though, she felt it reshaping into a warmer and more understanding version. She had reformed into a better mother for her son and his friends, and something Shikaku had felt been needed long ago.

After her change she had welcomed the Uzumaki into her home, and been more then willing to listen to him when he needed someone to talk to. In short she had become a mom to him, just like she had for Choji and Ino when their own parents were never available. It had been awkward at first, but the two had slowly grown accustomed to the relationship. Of course it hadn't been as easy as all of that. While normally accepting, the boy had also learned to be more then a little wary of people showing an interest in him.

"You know Ibiki it is strange to see this group of people gathered together," stated the woman as the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Squad came walking up to her. The man could only chuckle lightly at her words and nod in agreement as he turned to observe the diverse group that was in front of him.

Who could blame her though for saying that? You had some well-known and respected Jonin sitting and drinking at the house of one of the most hated people in Konoha. Not only that but they were consorting with one of the most feared people of the ANBU corps, and one of the most hated Kunoichi, Mitarashi Anko. Add in the Hokage and the heirs to many of Konoha's elite clans and you had a very diverse group gathered together under one roof.

"That's true Yoshino, but when they all have something in common they can't help but seek others to share it with," answered the man as he settled against the wall and watched as the Sandaime pull Jiraiya away from a fuming Anko and Kurenai.

"Ibiki have you ever wondered what might have happened if you and the others had never come across Naruto that night? Imagine how different things may have been, and what we might have missed in life if all these people had never joined together," said the Nara in a distant voice while swirling around her drink.

Had he thought about what happened that night all those years ago? How couldn't he have thought about that night? The events flashed through his mind on an almost routine basis when he tried going to sleep at night. Even now they still came forward without him calling upon them. He could recount a number of times in the past year that Shizune had caught him furiously scrubbing his hands while in a dazed state mumbling about blood.

He often thought back and wondered what might have happened if the Sandaime and the ANBU team had come upon the scene minutes later. Would they have managed to kill the boy? Would the Sandaime have been able to stop the last rain of blows? Would Hikari have been able to do anything? Most of all would Naruto have snapped when he was barely hanging onto life by a thin string and unwillingly released the deadly power of Hikari to keep himself alive.

What if something had caused him to make it to the hospital slower then he actually did. What would have happened if he couldn't have gotten help at the hospital? What of Ohjiro wasn't on duty? Would things have been different if no nurses decided to help Ohjiro? There was also the situation with Hikari, and the questions that focused around her involvement in that issue.

"You have no idea how often I think those very same things. I often ask myself why I didn't do anything for Naruto sooner, and I find myself caught up in those thoughts often when I'm not working. I know I'm not the only one that reflects on the past either. Anko, Iruka, and Hokage-sama spend as much time thinking about it as I do," answered Ibiki finally as he frowned down into his drink.

Yoshino looked over at the man who many feared and very few ever got to see this side of the man. Those that did only saw it after a few stiff drinks and a hard mission, and others saw it when he was having a particularly hard time cracking someone in one of the many Interrogation cells that were hidden away under the Hokage Tower. She herself was surprised as hearing of this side of the man, but of course she had known what to expect after reading the scrolls from Naruto.

"Hindsight can be a bitch at times," muttered Ibiki as he pushed off the wall and made his way over to Shizune, who was now being gawked at by Jiraiya.

'_That it does Ibiki. It also offers a nice slap to the face to those who feel they screwed up,'_ thought Yoshino as she smiled sadly at his back.

* * *

_**Konoha**_

A pair of shadows danced around a clearing as they exchanged blows. The taller of the two was easily able to overpower the shorter shadow but never pressed the advantage once it knocked its counterpart to the ground. Each time it was knocked down or against one of the many trees, the shorter shadow would release a grunt of anger and jump back into the fray releasing small growls of anger. Finally the one that had dominated the fight raised a hand to call an end to their "dance".

"That is enough for now Sasuke. I wouldn't want to rough you up too much before the final test tomorrow," stated the form of the second shadow.

Moonlight was finally able to break through the night sky to reveal a man with silver hair and standard Jonin uniform. One of the few things that set the man aside from other Jonins was the hitaiate that was slanted across his left eye and the lazy posture he took after calling an end to the training. His one visible eye could been seen smiling at the person across from him, who seemed to be huffing and puffing from the exertion required to fight the man across from him.

The shorter of the two was dressed in a fairly plain blue shirt that had a high color that covered most of its neck. Perhaps the most significant thing about the plain item of clothing was the red and white fan that was embroidered on the back of the article of clothing. White shorts and white arms guards finished off the clothing for the person bent over on his knees while sucking in life sustaining oxygen.

His black hair was plastered to his pale skin as sweat dripped down from under his hitaiate and onto the well-used training ground. His dark eyes were focused on the person who had been training him for nearly the last year in Tai, Nin, and Genjutsu in hopes of him activating his Sharingan. Despite all of those efforts though the boy had yet to activate the deadly Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, and he was not happy.

"I can go a little longer," said the Uchiha through his pants as he tried to catch his breathe. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the silver haired man as he shook his head and sighed deeply.

"You may be able to go longer but you wouldn't accomplish anything by doing so. You are nearly at your limit already and you will need your energy for tomorrow," said the man evenly.

"You keep talking about tomorrow but you still won't tell me what needs to be done," growled the boy as he sat down with his knees sticking in the air and arms resting on them.

"If I told you everything you would learn nothing Sasuke. Not all answers will be handed to you, just as not everything you want will be given," responded Kakashi as he wiggled his fingered as if to say no.

'_I had hoped he would have gotten this by now. **You haven't done such a good job with him though. Each time he wants a new jutsu you give it to him eagerly**,'_ thought Kakashi and his eerie new inner-self. The voice had been popping up more and more and causing him to question many things over the day. Hearing this second voice was starting to become unnerving for him. Each time it popped up it was speak his inner most thoughts and desires. It said the things he would never admit to, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"Tch, like that ever bothered you before," muttered the boy as he kicked a rock by his foot.

"Yes, and perhaps that was my mistake. Then again I'm not the only one who needs to reflect on previous actions. If I remember correctly when I first decided to train you I asked that you think over your goals in life," countered the taller man from behind his orange book, which seemed to appear out of nowhere.

He watched on as the boy growled and slammed his fists into the ground and he kicked up into a standing position. The Uchiha glared at him trying to burn a hole through the man's head. His lips curled into a small snarl as he fought to keep from attacking the man that stood across from him.

"I DID THINK THEM OVER! Those ideas you spout are worthless! They would never help me to kill Itachi and reclaim the honor of the Uchiha Clan," shouted the boy as he balled his fists. The boy's anger only seemed to intensify as he saw the Jonin's eye frown at his words. "What would you know about having to reclaim lost honor! It isn't like you know anything about what I've gone through," yelled the boy once again but soon realized just how much he screwed up.

In the blink of an eye Kakashi had hidden his book once again and crossed the clearing to slam the Uchiha into one of the many trees. As the leaves started to float down around them and animals ran to whatever safety they could find Kakashi narrowed his one visible eye. At the same time the air became heavy, as the area was flooded with Kakashi's killing intent.

"Don't talk about things you have no knowledge of Sasuke. You may not believe it but others do know your pain, but they find other ways to conquer it. All that I have cared for besides this village has been taken from me. My friend, who is the reason I am able to train you died to save my life and the life of our teammate. My Sensei was killed by the Kyubi when it attacked. My only living teammate has vanished off the face of the earth and might as well be dead. Don't you talk to me about pain as if no one else has felt it. Don't you even THINK about talking to me about having to reclaim the honor of your clan," said Kakashi as he fought to beat the boy until he was supposed to meet the rest of his team.

"Your quest is admirable Sasuke but is it worth it in the end? Is it worth alienating those who may care for you? Is it worth hurting those who have always been there for you? Do you think your father or mother would want you to charge into what could be your death? Have you even bothered thinking about what you would do IF you were ever able to settle with Itachi," asked the man as he started to raise his voice. By now Sasuke was shaking in anger and fear.

He was angry because someone actually dared to question his ambitions. The man claimed to know what pain he was going through and thought that it could compare to his own tragic past. Why was it so wrong to want to kill the man who killed his family? What does it matter what happens afterwards? As long as he was able to reclaim the honor of his clan little else mattered. Not even how he went about it concerned him.

His fear was from the intense hate and anger he could fell rolling off of the Legendary Ninja in front of him. Never before had he felt this way, except perhaps the time Naruto came flying back into a window and sent a kid flying to the front of the classroom. That event though was starting to pale in comparison to the feeling Kakashi was giving him right now. What ever had happened to the silver haired man was enough for him to focus those feelings on him and it was all starting to have an affect on his bodily functions.

As quickly as it started it ended as Kakashi dropped the boy to the forest floor and slowly walked away while shaking his head. He no longer looked to be the strong Jonin that had come to him wanting to train him. When the man glanced at Sasuke he could see the pain and regret being reflected in the Jonin's eye.

"My father risked his life to save his team mates when they were out on a mission. Because he stopped to save them he ended up failing the mission but they each returned to Konoha safe and sound. On his return he was black marked for placing the lives of his comrades above the mission. People called him a disgrace to the people of Konoha, and it was because of that that he committed Seppuku in hopes of reclaiming honor in his death," said the Copy Nin as he dragged his hand across his face.

"I hated my father for that and for leaving me alone. I made it my purpose to try and reclaim that "honor" that my father had lost with his "foolish" act. In the end though I ended up tarnishing the name of my family, and all at the cost of my team mates life," added the man as he stopped and looked up at the full moon that was shining down on them. The Uchiha just watched as the man looked up into and then bathed in the silver moonlight. To him it seemed as if the man was glowing as he silver light bore down on him.

"I can understand wanting to kill Itachi Sasuke but to devote your entire life to that single goal… What would your family want you to do? Ask yourself that each time you think about Itachi. Would they want you to live such a desolate life, or would they want you to live a full life? Don't you think that just maybe they would want you to enjoy things in life, and no become such a cold hearted person," asked Kakashi sadly as the light from the moon was once again blocked off by the clouds in the sky. He turned to look at his wayward charge to see the boy slumped up against the tree with his head hanging.

"You've stated that you want to rebuild your clan but would that even be possible if you and Itachi were both dead? If you continue going after Itachi, and he ends up killing you he would be the only Uchiha left alive. Would you want HIM to rebuild the Uchiha clan in his image or would you like to rebuild them in your image? That is just one problem with your ambitions right now Sasuke. I know you want to get revenge for what Itachi has done and that is just what he wants. You would be playing HIS game and doing what HE wants you to do. Get your revenge a different way. Show him that you will not play his games," were Kakashi's final words as he vanished in a cloud of smoke and left the last Uchiha of Konoha alone.

* * *

_**Konoha**_

The sun was just breaking over the horizon as the Shinobi inhabitants of Konoha started to wake up for their activities for the day. Some had to go on missions outside of the noble village, and others had to report for their missions inside of the old village. There was also a small fraction that had to go and meet their new Sensei who would determine what path they would end up walking on in life.

That was the reason that seven such people were waking up in the home dubbed the "Uzumaki" House.

The members of Team 7, 8, and 10 had all decided to spend the night in one place as to wish each other good luck in the morning before they each left for their respective team meetings. It was once last chance for them to enjoy the company of each other before having to set out into the Shinobi world. That was perhaps the main reason why breakfast in the Uzumaki house was more lively then it had been in the past.

Those few who were on Team 8 and 10 were lucky enough that they wouldn't have to wait all day for their Sensei. The ones from Team 7 knew a head of time that their Sensei might be more then a little late. That still didn't mean that they would risk showing up late and having their Sensei actually appear on time for once. With those reasons in mind the seven Genin hopefuls set out on a new adventure.

"Anyone else nervous about toady," questioned Ino as she nervously twirled a lock of hair around her fingers.

"That's probably the third time you asked that same question since you've been up Ino," stated Sakura with a heavy sigh as she looked at the blonde-haired girl beside her. Each of the other hopefuls could only sigh as the knew what was combing next. It had happened twice already and it now seemed that it would happen for a third time that morning.

"Excuse me for being nervous billboard brow," screamed the Yamanaka as she rounded on the pink-haired girl and started to walk backwards while arguing with her friend. The others tried to tune the dueling banshees out as they made their way to the training grounds and where they would inevitably have to go their separate ways.

"You guys may have it easy," stated Naruto as he looked up to the sunny sky and smiled. Looking around at his friends and their questioning faces, he knew he had to elaborate on his answer.

"I mean Asuma-sensei may not have handled a Genin team before but he is pretty laid back. He may be willing to let you guys build off the teamwork that your parents helped to define. He probably won't be on your case about training," elaborated the blond-haired boy with a smile.

"What about Kurenai-sensei," questioned Shino from behind his coat. He knew a few things about the woman since he had spent time around her and Hinata back when things had gotten rough with their group.

"Oh well that is easy really. She is a rookie Jonin but I doubt she would be a push over. She is going to want to make a good impression on Jiji and let him know that Kunoichi make good instructors for Genin. Even with that in mind though I don't see her being too bad; unless your name happens to be Inuzuka Kiba at least," answered the boy with a wide smile and a wink at Hinata. "Of course there is the added benefit that she seems to view Hinata as a sister, and you as Hinata's brother," added the Jinchuuriki quickly.

"What makes your situation so bad Naruto. We know you hate this Kakashi guy but you've never said why or anything," asked Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow when Naruto's jovial mood seemed to vanish.

"Well from what I remember Kakashi hasn't passed a single Genin team in all the times he has been asked to take one," answered the whisker-marked boy. His words seemed to be enough to stop Ino and Sakura from fighting and even earned a small whine from the pink-haired Kunoichi.

"And the reason why you don't like him." asked Shikamaru once again as he tried to look into the eyes of Naruto.

Everyone seemed to be waiting to hear what he had to say. They may be his friends and know a little about his hobbies and what not, but there were still several things he kept to himself about. One of them was the reason why he hated the Jonin known as Hatake Kakashi and why the man had been the target of several pranks in the past. Try as they might though they could never get an answer from Naruto.

'_Why did I have to open my big mouth,'_ moaned Naruto mentally as he tried to come up with a solution to his current problem.

"_**You could always try the truth like I keep telling you to,"**_ answered Hikari as she gave Naruto the impression of her resting her hands on her hips and frowning at him. It had been a source of debate between the two since things had gotten back to normal. She wanted him to tell them about one of his darkest secrets, and he would always get angry when she suggested it.

Her reasons were simple and straightforward. Keeping secrets like this would only hurt their relationship or at least strain it when the secret finally came out. Letting them know sooner gave him the chance to mend the bridges that may be broken by the revelation. If anything it would show that he trusted them, just like they trusted him. That alone seemed like a good enough reason for her.

Naruto feared that things wouldn't go as she thought they would. The rejection of the village and others he could handle, but the rejection of the few friends he had was something that would destroy him. If they ended up fearing or hating him for what he held or if they ended up hating Hikari for her misguided actions, he wasn't sure what he would do. He knew one thing for certain though and that was what happened months ago would seem like nothing should ALL of his friends start to treat him that way.

The two would argue back and forth about it and neither side would give an inch on the subject. During many of the arguments Hikari would use Shino as a primary example that his friends were not prone to such drastic actions. When Naruto would cite Hinata, she would counter with the circumstances she had been placed in. Despite all of this though he would remain firm in his stance.

'_Don't start that again Nee-chan. If you do decide to start it up I might be tempted into showing Ero-Sennin that jutsu,'_ bit Naruto as he mentally glared at his demonic sister.

"Yo, Konoha to Naruto, come in Naruto," cut in Choji as he waved his hand in front of the boy's face. The startled jump and sudden stop caused everyone else to stop and look at the boy. Each of them seemed confused about his inattentiveness and how easy he seemed to be startled just now.

Naruto fought the urge to from at being caught up in his thoughts and tried to block out the words Hikari was throwing his way because of the threat. Seeing the looks he was getting he once again set about trying to find an answer to the question he had been asked. Try as he might though he couldn't come up with what he deemed an acceptable answer.

Thankfully, though there was another person who could rescue the blond from his current dilemma.

"I believe this is where we must part ways," was said by Shino as he adjusted his glasses and looked around at the people gathered.

'_You owe me again Naruto,'_ thought Shino as he looked at the assembled graduates.

Hearing Shino's words caused everyone to jerk to attention as they noticed that they were at a three-way fork in the road. The reactions after that ended up differing from person to person though.

Shikamaru frowned because of his question still not being answered. It always seemed that Naruto would dodge that question with some lame excuse. When that didn't happen someone else would bail him out and unfortunately one of the people always tended to be Shino. The Aburame just startled him at times with how silent he could be when traveling around and always showing up just when it seemed like Naruto was cracking under the pressure.

Many of the others seemed apprehensive about finally have to part ways with the rest of their friends. They had each wanted the moment to last as long as possible and they tried to milk it for every nanosecond. To finally be at that crossroad though seemed to bring a sense of finality to the entire situation.

"We should hurry if we don't wish to be late," added Shino before nodding to Hinata and heading off towards where Team 8 was supposed to meet. The girl seemed distraught for a second before she finally ran up to Naruto and gave him a quick hug.

"Good luck Naruto-kun," was all she said to the stunned boy before she ran off to join her new teammate.

'_I don't think I'll ever get used to that,'_ mused Naruto as he smiled at her retreating figure.

"Come on Shikamaru, Choji. We don't want to be late for out first official team meeting," ordered Ino as she grabbed each of the boys by their arms and started to pull them off towards where they were supposed to meet Asuma. Naruto and Sakura had to laugh as the Nara boy was nearly chocked to death by his own shirt, and Choji just smiled as Ino fought to pull him along. Even as the boy was turning blue and clawing at his collar he could find no relief.

Turning to the pink-haired girl Naruto smiled and motioned for her to go first with a smile. Seeing his actions, Sakura giggled lightly as she moved ahead and led the way towards the training ground where they were supposed to meet Kakashi. Their short trip was carried out in silence as they prepared themselves for the upcoming task. Neither of them was surprised to see the lone Uchiha leaning against one of the three training posts.

What did surprise them though was the haggard look he now supported, almost as if he didn't get any sleep the previous night. Even his clothes look ruffled and slept in, which was something they had never seen the Uchiha do before. When the boy failed to acknowledge them though they just passed it off as his normal behavior and each took up a spot in the shade to wait for the Copy Ninja.

As the minutes ticked away both Naruto and Sakura busied themselves by checking over their supplies and other assorted equipment. Naruto checked his basic weapons, kunai and shuriken, before heading onto scrolls he kept strapped to his belt. He tested the straps of his weights and the fit of his bracers and greaves.

"Who would have thought he would be late again. Knowing him, he is probably off at some adult book store," muttered Naruto as he started to sharpen his kunai while humming. As he was doing this he could hear Sakura growl slightly and pull out the gloves Tsunade had given her.

Since Sakura was still young and didn't quite have the tough skin that Tsunade had built up from years of practice, Tsunade had bought and given her special gloves that would help with this problem. Most wouldn't think much of this but when you run the risk of blowing up your hand or breaking every bone you want to take what ever precaution you can. These soon became to key to knowing just how much a person had pissed the aspiring med-nin off.

"I think I can see why you hate him Naruto," was all Sakura said as she pulled her gloves on and clenched her fist.

'_Doubtful Sakura, but at least this gives me something to use the next time Shikamaru questions me,'_ thought Naruto as he continued to busy himself.

"_**Have you decided on what you will do for the test,"**_ questioned Hikari from within.

Both Hikari and Naruto felt that Kakashi might try to use this time as a way to get even with them for whatever misguided wrong they had committed. The only problem with that was Naruto might be forced to use more then a few basic jutsu to get away. It was very likely that the Jonin would try and press him to find out just what he did know and the skills he had managed to gain while living in the house of the Yondaime.

'_Not yet but I'll use what ever I have to use to make it through this test. I already have a good idea of what is going to be expected of us but Kakashi could always through a curve ball at us,'_ responded the blond as he replaced all his weapons.

"_**Then the only other issue would be getting the other two to play along. Sakura might be easy to convince now but Sasuke will be a problem. If you need to you may have to stroke his ego a little and make him believe that is as all his idea to begin with. Regardless of the situation though you must be careful. If Kakashi should ever remove his headband, you know what he is going to try and do."**_

'_Yeah I know. I only had you and Ero-Sennin drilling that into my head each and every day we practiced. I'll be sure to use what Ninjutsu I can with little to no hand seals. If I need to I'll conjure up a fog bank to make it even harder on him.'_

"**If you do that don't forget about your friends. They haven't had the chance to train in such a situation. That plan of action could very well backfire on you if you aren't careful,"**stated Hikari as she laid back in the glade that made up Naruto's mindscape.

'_What do you suggest I do then? You want me to stick to the basics, or wow him with the **Oiroke no Jutsu**,' _asked Naruto, more then a little irritated.

"_**Don't you dare use that perverted mistake of a Ninjutsu. If you so much as think about using it again I'll makes your weights so heavy you won't be walking anywhere," **_yelled Hikari in response as she jump up from the glade and stomped her foot while placing her hands on her hips.

'_If you do that, then I'll just have to show Ero-Sennin or show you the second volume of Icha Icha Paradise,'_ countered Naruto as he mentally stuck his tongue out at her.

"_**And how do you plan on showing Jiraiya when you can't move? You might be able to show me Icha Icha Paradise, but I can have a strong influence on your dreams at night,"**_ was all Hikari said as she turned away and flipped her tails as she walked away.

'_Wait what do you mean by that! Hey don't walk away form me when I'm talking to you Nee-chan," _screamed Naruto as he saw her walking away form him with a smile on her face. His attempts to gain her attention though was cut short as a cloud of smoke appeared, and the sound of displaced air reached the ears of the gathered pre-teens.

"Your late you lecher," screamed Sakura as she pointed at where Kakashi had just appeared.

In deed Hatake Kakashi was late once again.

Instead of answering her though, which only made her madder, he raised his hand in his typical greeting as he jumped down from a tree branch. He smiled slightly at the looks his would be students were giving him and cringed slightly at glare being sent at him by Naruto. Snapping his book closed and placing it into his hip pouch he motioned for them to follow him. The three Genin hopefuls followed the Jonin down a path into the woods.

Several minutes later they had all arrived at a familiar clearing, for Sakura and Naruto at least. Three logs sat lined up in the middle of the clearing and with them was a large ornate rock sitting atop of a dais. Looking at the obsidian rock you could see several names written across the many different facets. Instead of the typical weather damage you would expect to see on such an exposed object, it continued to shine in the mid-morning light.

"Now I'm sure you can't wait to start so lets not waste any more time. The objective to this little exercise is to see who can get a bell from me," here Kakashi pulled two small silver bells from his pocket and tied them to his belt after holding them up for the three.

"Who ever can get one of these bells will pass the test and continue on to become a Genin. If you don't get a bell then you will be sent back to the Academy or if I feel your progress isn't sufficient or you are not cut out for being a Shinobi, removed from the Shinobi ranks of Konohagakure no Sato," added Kakashi once he was done stringing the bells onto his belt.

"Of course there is a chance that none of you will get a belt and thus must all be sent back or never allowed to be a Shinobi. That seems to be rather easy to understand, correct," asked Kakashi once again as he looked at his opponents.

Sasuke had narrowed his eyes as Kakashi finished his little speech about the bells. There was no way he would fail this test. He would pass and show Naruto, Kakashi, and all of the others just how great the Uchiha clan was. He was an Uchiha and Uchiha never failed at anything. He would pass the stupid test regardless of what Kakashi said.

Naruto just looked on unsurprised as he flexed his hands and started to think through what he would have to do for this test. It sounded just like what he had read in one of his father's scrolls and what he had heard about the tests from Jiraiya and Gamabunta. The only problem though was what Hikari had mentioned earlier, and that was convincing the others that it would just a ploy, if they hadn't noticed the problem just yet.

Sakura was surprised at his words and couldn't help but wonder if she was actually ready for this kind of test. She didn't doubt that Sasuke and Naruto were ready, but would she be able to keep up with them? The pink-haired girl looked at the people around her and new that each of them, at least Sasuke and Naruto, would be giving it their all. It wasn't until she looked at Kakashi and noticed the light bouncing off the bells that something occurred to her.

"Kakashi-Sensei why are their only two bells," questioned the girl as it came to her. She was confused when she noticed the man smile through his mask and raised his hand up into the air as if he was going to say something important.

"That Sakura is the catch. You see regardless of what happens only two of you will be eligible to become Genin. That means at least ONE of you is assured to be sent back to the Academy for another year," answered Kakashi with a smile.

Once again Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura gasped slightly. It was unexpected and helped to add more pressure to them. Not only that but now they would have to compete for the bells and hope to beat out the other two members of the team for one.

"Of course it won't be that simple. When you come at me you must come at me with the intent to kill. If you don't then you will never be able to get one of the bells. Now I think that is all I need to explain so," trailed off Kakashi as he walked to the training post in the center of the field and reached into his pouch once again.

"It is now ten o'clock. You will have until noon to get a bell from me. There is also the fact that only those who get a bell will be able to eat the lunches that I've brought along," stated Kakashi again. This time though he frowned slightly as he only heard one stomach grumble at the mention of food. His frown only deepened though when he noticed the smile on the face of Sakura and Naruto.

"Hehe I guess it's a good thing that we ate this morning, huh Sakura," asked Naruto as she continued to smile and scratch the back of his head. The girl could only nod as she thought about the state she would have been in had Tsunade not forced them to eat that morning.

Sasuke was scowling at Kakashi's words as he tried to quiet down the sounds being made by his stomach. He had thought about what Kakashi told him to last night and as a result he didn't eat dinner. Not only had he skipped dinner but he skipped breakfast that morning as well. He was starting to regret those actions and his anger at Kakashi was increasing as the seconds ticked by.

"If there are no other questions, ready."

Sasuke's muscles tensed as he anticipated the words of his Sensei.

Sakura brought one of her gloves hands up and tugged on the glove to ensure it was tightened.

Naruto's muscles tensed as well as he prepared to hide himself and convince his teammates to help him.

"Set," drawled Kakashi as his eyes switched from one Genin to the next. He could see each of them tensing as they prepared to jump away on his signal.

"GO!"

Each of the Genin jumped away and into the trees as they moved away from the Jonin in hopes of concealing themselves. Kakashi watched on as the vanished in a small blur and moved to the trees with mild interest. He could sense each of them when they first jumped away but he soon lost track of Naruto as the boy made it into the trees. This wasn't much of a surprise since the blond had done such things several times before.

Sakura he could still barely sense to his right. He attributed this to her superb control over chakra and the rumored training she had with Tsunade. He would have to test out just what the Kunoichi had learned and only hoped that she would live up to the expectations he held. Still though, if the girl could learn to do half the things Tsunade was rumored to be capable of…

Kakashi shivered at the thought of a miniature Tsunade running around in the village.

He could feel Sasuke with little trouble. The fact that the boy was broadcasting his anger in heavy waves helped tremendously. If the Uchiha had kept his temper under control, Kakashi knew he might be harder to find. Under the current conditions though Sasuke looked to be the first on to attack.

'_Well it seems that they know how to hide. I suppose I shouldn't be too upset with Sasuke. He is still technically a Genin but I had thought I taught him better then this,'_ mused Kakashi as he eyed where Sasuke was hiding with the edge of his vision.

"Time to see what my wonderful little students can do," muttered Kakashi as he retrieved his book and took of walking through the woods.

* * *

_**Konoha Bar**_

To many people it might have been too early to sit themselves in a bar and enjoy the various amounts of alcohol. There however is always an exception to every rule. In this case the exception was made for a group of people rather then just a single one. These were the few who were, and considered themselves the parents or close relatives of two members of the next generation of Genin of Konoha.

"I wish Sarutobi-sensei would let us use his viewing glass to watch how the test is going," muttered a white-haired man before he threw his head back and downed his drink in one gulp.

"Quit crying Jiraiya. You and I both know that isn't what you wanted to use the viewing globe for," stated a blonde-haired woman firmly as she slammed her glass down opposite of the mentioned man. Around the table many of the women gathered nodded or stated their agreement as they looked at the white haired Sannin.

"I can't help but wonder how Naruto and Kakashi will get along. After what happened a few years ago I don't see how they can co-exist without killing each other," chimed in the former instructor to the newest generation of Genin.

"Hokage-sama feels that they are both mature enough to let bygone be bygones. I can promise you that Naruto won't do anything too harsh unless he is pushed to it," assured the deep voice of Ibiki as he sipped at his drink carefully.

"Still! How can a man who deserted his post be expected to be the Sensei of the person he left to the wolves," demanded Iruka as he slammed his hands down on the table finally. "I can't believe that that man is STILL able to be a Jonin, let alone responsible for the lives of a group of Genin."

With those words a heavy silence filled the room as many of the people gathered thought back on the incident. Three people however seemed very confused about what was being said. Those three people were the ones who had not been in Konoha for nearly thirteen years. Only recently had they become exposed to the life of a Hidden village once again.

"Pardon me for asking, but I keep hearing people talk about some incident between Naruto-kun and Kakashi-san. It may not be any of my business but I hate being left in the dark so much about things. It doesn't even seem like Jiraiya-sama or Tsunade-sama knows just what each of you are always referring to. If it isn't against any of Hokage-sama's laws I'm sure we would each like to know just what is going on," timidly stated Shizune as she looked at those who had known Naruto the longest.

The faces of Anko, Ibiki, and Iruka darkened as they though over what was being asked by the dark haired woman. It was a painful memory for each of them, and one of the few times they had not been able to protect their charge. It was one of their biggest failures in Ibiki and Anko's opinions. It was also one of the few times that they felt powerless in the life of the boy. It marked one of the first times either of them had attacked a Konoha Shinobi when they were not training or working. Most of all it was one of the few things that would haunt either of them at night.

For Iruka though it was a turning point in his life that changed the way he looked at his village. He learned just how sick a number of them could be, and just how cruel many of them could be when it came to Naruto.

"My daughter has asked me several times to explain that incident and each time my resolve slowly cracks. It won't be too long before I'll have to tell her the truth that she deserves to know. After all she was present for most of that night," stated a voice catching a few of the people at the table by surprise.

Jerking around to look at the newcomer Ibiki and Anko were surprised to see the tanned and scarred visage of Higarashi Satome coming at them from the counter at the front of the bar. He walked over to their table and settled in beside Jiraiya as he smiled at the man warmly before turning his attention back to the others gathered at the table.

"They have a right to know, just like my daughter has a right to know why that happened. It took me forever to get her to come into the forge again or even help me with cooking dinner for our little family," stated the weathered man once again. The two Jonin and Chunin exchanged glances as they thought over what they should do.

"I know that some of mystery has to do with the abnormally large burn scar on his back. Other then that I don't have any other idea," added Tsunade as she wrapped both her hands around her glass and brought it up to where it was resting just in front of her lips.

"The boy was pretty adamant about not learning any Katon jutsu as well when I first started to teach him. I tried to figure out why but he would never tell me anything. Then there is the fact that all of you speak about some strange incident between him and Kakashi all the time. I've gone as far as breaking into the ANBU archive to try and find the answer but found several blotted out reports, and a list of Shinobi that were suddenly executed for breaking Sandaime's law," chimed in Jiraiya as he looked at the people across from him with half lidded eyes.

Anko shivered as Jiraiya looked at her with those eyes. It was something she knew he only used for those who had crossed him in some way and now she had joined that list of people. Knowing any attempt to change the subject would be met with ruin she looked beside her to Ibiki. The man could only nod his head as he motioned to the passing waitress for bring more for them to drink.

"I suppose you have a right to know. It happened about two years after Naruto had joined the Academy, and was put into Iruka's class. At the time Kakashi was in charge of the ANBU team that would keep tabs on Naruto and make sure the villagers didn't do anything stupid," said Anko as she kept her head down.

"Unfortunately the only ones on that squad who gave a damn about Naruto were Yamato and Yugao. None of the others lifted a finger unless things got too far out of hand. There were times when those others would abandon their post in order to give Villagers and drunken Shinobi a free shot at Naruto. The night all of this happened Yamato and Yugao were out on a mission and that left Naruto with Kakashi and his goon squad," continued Ibiki as he accepted the drinks from the waitress and passed them around the table.

"I had kept Naruto back that day because of something that had happened in class. Because of that he headed home later then he normally did; which normally wouldn't be that big of a problem when he had a competent ANBU guard watching over him. The only other time he had no trouble would be when Ibiki or Anko would walk him home, but they had missions out of the village that week as well. Because of how tired I was I didn't think about it much as I watched Naruto leave the Academy," chimed in Iruka as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

The Sannin and the apprentice looked at the Academy instructor as he finished talking as they soaked in what was being said. Hearing the story being told from three different people seemed to be a bit much, but it was evident that now that they had started they weren't about to stop. The two Sannin present probably knew better then anyone that you needed to clear your minds and let others know about the things that caused you guilt. They were walking advertisements that bottling up guilt was never a healthy way to deal with a failure.

"That was when Naruto came by my store and talked with Tenten for a few minutes before she and him decided to go out and practice their weapon skills. I was too busy at the time to check on his guard but I agreed to it nonetheless. The last thing I heard from Tenten was that they were going to practice at an old abandoned shack out in the woods before they left the shop," added Satome suddenly and drawing the attention of those gathered.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

Naruto and Tenten were walking through Konoha and towards the woods where they had a small practice range set up. The entire time they never noticed a steady gathering of a handful of Shinobi and several villagers who noticed them passing. They were kids off to have a good time and that made them nearly oblivious to everything that went on around them.

As they entered the woods and soon made it to the abandoned cabin they could start to tell that something was wrong. They couldn't hear the sound of birds chirping or animals playing in the woods. Whatever insects were out and about had long since stopped making whatever sounds they would make. An eerie silence followed the two Academy students down the path and only seemed to becoming more ominous as they walked. The sudden snapping of a twig was the only warning that they when a giant fuhma shuriken came sailing out of the woods and towards the pair.

Naruto and Tenten quickly pushed away from each other and rolled across the ground several feet. When they managed to get back to their feet Naruto was met with a foot to the face as several sets of hands grabbed Tenten by her shoulders and started to pull her away from the scene of the crime.

"Get the girl away from here! It looks like we arrived just in time to save her form the monster," shouted a man as people continued to pull the girl away. Even as she shouted at them to let her go they wouldn't release their hold on her shoulders. Instead more and more cries of her being brainwashed came out from the growing crowd of people as she was hoisted over the head of her captors to prevent her from digging her feet into the soft dirt. What meet she ended up seeing she would never forget.

In the center of a ring of villagers and Shinobi was Naruto with a Kunai in his hand. The blade was already bloodied but covered in whose blood she couldn't tell. All she could see were the cuts and scraps that had started to appear on him from an assortment of objects being thrown at him. Farming tools, carving tools, weapons, kitchen utensils, and anything else that could make a weapon was being brought to bear on the boy.

Through all of this she was screaming at the people holding her and those attacking Naruto to let her go. With a sudden twist and jerk she had managed to pull the hand of a captor close enough to bite down on it and draw blood from the calloused hand. When the man let out a shriek of pain and released her arm she wasted no time in doing what ever it took to wrestle her other limbs free. Her other captors ended up suffering from stabs, kicks, punches, or her teeth as she used everything she had to break free.

Once she was free she tried to fight her way through the throng of people. When people tried to grab her again she only twisted and fought her way free of them. She only had one thing in mind and that was getting to Naruto and protecting him. She didn't care how many fingers of hands she chopped off and if they continued to try and stop her she would only aim to decapitate them purposely.

Just as she was about to break through the front ranks she heard words that made her blood run cold. They were no longer using simple weapons on him but REAL jutsu that could do more then just scratch him or cut him up. What kind of jutsu was used she couldn't tell. All she had managed to hear over the shouts of the rabble was a single word, **Katon**, before the crowd's voice drowned out the rest of the jutsu. The sudden light that lightened the darkened clearing caused her heart to catch in her throat. With a final shove she made her way through the last group of villagers and just in time to see Naruto rolling on the ground with smoke lifting from his clothes.

"Come on, throw the demon in the building! That way he can see how it feels to die like our loved ones," shouted a voice off to her right.

As Tenten looked for the person she stopped once she noticed what appeared to be several older Genin and a solitary Chunin rush forward to try and grab Naruto. They didn't have to try to hard as the boy was obviously in pain from his earlier encounter with a jutsu, and was in no shape to fight back any more. Once again the brown-haired girl tried t rush forward and help the blond boy, but she only managed to make it a few feet before a man with blue tinted silver hair jumped in front of her and knocked her aside. Tenten could barely see Naruto's barely struggling form through the stars in her eyes as he was thrown into the small shed they used for target practice.

The man who knocked her away moved to pick her up and this time the others around them decided not to take any chances with her. They started to bind her hands together and her arms to the side of her young body. No wanting to risk her biting them again, or hear her screams they gagged her as well. Once they were done they once again tried to remove her from the presence of the "demon" that tainted her.

Through the crowd of people Tenten could see others pouring something around the small hut in the woods before another person walked up and dropped what looked to be a match. The second the match touched the ground the liquid poured down earlier caught fire instantly and set the house ablaze.

The young girl's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw the building holding her friend light up the evening sky. Even with the gag in her mouth people could hear her screaming out Naruto's name as tears started to fall down her cheeks. She started thrashing against her bonds as she struggled to free herself and try to rescue one of her first friends.

Even as people cheered the sound of the small trapped boy pounding on the wooden slats could be heard over the din of the fire raging around him. Even as the flames licked the tops of the trees no one moved to safe the boy or paid any attention to the girl crying her eyes out as the smell of burnt flesh and hair reached her.

It was about that time that water flooded the small clearing, knocking several people off of their feet and smothering some of the flames. Several of the Shinobi present started to look around frantically fearing what could end up happening to them. Many still remembered the events that occurred a few years earlier and because of that several of the Shinobi scrambled to flee the scene.

Panicked shouts could be heard by the young girl as a large form landed in the clearing and swung what looked like a giant mace around. The deadly weapons managed to kill several of the fleeing villagers, and possibly maiming several of the Shinobi unfortunate enough to be caught by it. Chaos consumed the clearing as people tried to flee from or attack the monster that had landed. Shouts of "demon spawn" echoed throughout the place as the _monster_ slammed people into the ground or the trees around it.

Monster was the only thing Tenten could describe the thing as. It was nearly as large as the building that housed Naruto, and swung a mace around that was nearly the size of an Akimichi. The fact that the figure was hunched over and let out a sound that rattled her to her bones didn't help her opinion much. Soon several smaller versions of the monster came jumping out of the trees and started to spit water out on remaining flames of the cabin. It wasn't long before they had managed to douse the flames and one of the figures kicked the door down and _hopped_ into the cabin.

The large rest creature turned what looked to be its head to look behind it and then released a loud sound from deep within its body. The cry from the creature seemed to cause parts of its cheeks to inflate as it released the sound that shook the trees and caused the remains of the building to collapse. Then just as quickly as they appeared they jumped away into the trees with Naruto's limp form.

As the creatures left the clearing several others replaced them. The cloaked forms of several ANBU teams started to scour the clearing for survivors. Seconds later Tenten could see the form of the Sandaime hovering over her as he untied her bindings and removed the gag. The second she was free though she started to scream hysterically and shout about monsters taking away Naruto. Not wanting the girl to injure herself or draw too much attention to the situation he chopped her across the back of the neck and caused her vision to slowly black out.

"I'm sorry Naruto," were her last words as her vision completely faded and she became dead to the world.

"I'm the one who is truly sorry," muttered the Hokage once the girl had been claimed by the simple technique he had used.

* * *

_**Present**_

"Hokage-sama later found out that Naruto was found in the operating room by Ohjiro and was quickly fixed up. The sad thing is that Naruto had gained a fear of Katon techniques, and most fire in general. The scar on his back seems to serve as a constant reminder of that fear to him and seems to be one of the few fears he just doesn't want to let go of. I'm kind of amazed that he is able to work in the forge after that experience, but it seems he found _some_ way to cope with his fear. If I had to guess I'd say it is only because of the fact he is helping me earn a living that he swallowed his fear and made that once exception.

"Hokage-sama later told us that when he arrived in the clearing he found several dead villagers and Shinobi. The cause of death was declared to be severe blunt force trauma and drowning in several cases. No one knew exactly who was Naruto's savior at the time, but there were rumors of kappa coming to save the demon Kyubi. Others who know of Naruto's and Hikari's connection though knew that was just something cooked up by the mindless rabble," finished Satome as he sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair.

The Sannin and the apprentice looked stunned slightly as the smith finished his tale. Their silence wasn't just from shock though as the tale was told, but of disgust as well as they heard the part of Naruto being burned alive inside of that small cabin. Their was also pity though present on their faces as they remembered Tenten's role in the scheme of things.

"When me and Anko returned from our respective missions we both dealt out our own form of punishment on Kakashi's ANBU squad that was supposed to be watching Naruto that day. I'd have to say that was the only time I actually enjoyed being suspended from active duties," commented Ibiki as he ran a finger across one of the many scars on his face.

"I made sure Kakashi was talking like a girl for weeks when I got a hold of him though," added Anko with a snarl.

After the two Jonin finished their comments the people gathered at the table turned to the Academy instructor. Each of them was waiting to hear what else he had to say on the issue at hand. Instead though the man seemed to be deep in thought as he stroked his chin slowly and started to frown as realization dawned on him.

"That fucking bastard! I knew there was a reason I hated him and now I know why. Mizuki always seemed so smug after that day and now I know why. That bastard was one of the people responsible for what happened! Hearing the story again from Tenten's perspective… That man that knocked her down and tied her up could have only been that no good son of a bitch," yelled Iruka with venom in his voice.

Anger was rolling off the Chunin in waves and was felt by anyone who just happened to be passing by the small bar. Those gathered at the table, mainly Satome, Anko, and Ibiki were stunned at the Chunin's outburst. Never had they really seen the man behave in such a way and to see him behaving that way now of all times seemed strange to those who had known him for so long.

"Settle down Iruka. The traitor got what he deserved in the end by the very person he tried to kill. It seems that karma is indeed a bitch," said Ibiki as he placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. His words seemed to lighten up the mood somewhat as many people broke out in light laughter or smiled at the thought of what Naruto had done the previous year.

"I think I can shine some light on the mystery of who saved Naruto as well," added Jiraiya as he relaxed from his thinking position to look at the younger Shinobi. "It would seem that Gamabunta has indeed had an active role in protecting Naruto. Knowing the old fart though I doubt he would ever tell the boy the truth about that day. The things you described Satome sound awfully a lot like a heavy combat toad and an SAR team.

"I've worked with that particular combat toad before and I know how he acts. He has a nasty temper, carried a pretty huge mace, and has a chip on his shoulder the size of the monument. Aside from his weapon skills he has been known build up a huge amount of water pressure and puff up like an Akimichi before releasing a torrent of water. Because the blast is so strong it often ends up knocking people unconscious or slamming them into what ever is in the area," finished Jiraiya as he started to pat his vest and clothing for something.

"I suppose this SAR team, or Search and Rescue Team, was responsible for saving Naruto and getting him to the hospital as quickly as they did. I've got to admit Jiraiya, I never thought those toads of yours could be so useful," stated Tsunade as the Ero-Sennin continued patting himself down. He did though offer a grunt when Tsunade insulted the toads he held a contract with.

"Pardon me Jiraiya-sama but if they saved Naruto then, why didn't they save him the time me and Tsunade-sama first came across them," questioned Shizune from beside her friend and Sensei.

The question was valid and given that they risked a great deal to save Naruto once before, why not a second time? The likelihood of help was possible during the first occasion but the second brush with death was in a situation where they were _lucky_ that Tsunade and Shizune had been around to aide them.

"That is a very good question. I could theorize that Naruto had used up too much chakra or that perhaps using Hikari's chakra had blocked them from summoning themselves. It could have to do with the climate of the area, and how salt water is not a condition that many of the toads and frogs particularly like. The only one who could give us an honest and straight forward answer would be the toad that was watching him at the time and Gamabunta," summarized Jiraiya as he finally pulled out a small pipe and set about filling it for use.

"Back to Kakashi and his test. We know Kakashi had be warned by Sandaime-sama not to go overboard, but do you think Naruto would hold back on someone he blames for a number of problems," questioned Tsunade as she tried to keep from smiling at the very thought of it.

The others in the room looked at her for several seconds before they too broke out their own smiles or grins. In Anko and Jiraiya's case though they were laughing at the very idea of what Kakashi would be in for. Ibiki looked as if he was satisfied with the situation, and Shizune was caught between being worried, and relieved. One person though kept his face fixed into a neutral expression. That person was the only one that truly knows more about Naruto's Hanyo forging work and the special side project Naruto had been working on.

'

* * *

_**Training Field**_

"I've told you how many times now to enter a fight with a level head? You let your anger cloud your actions once again Sasuke-kun," lectured the Jonin was he stood about the Uchiha.

The Uchiha in question had no choice BUT to look up at the Jonin; his options being extremely limited due to being buried neck deep in the earth. He had tried coming at the Jonin from behind a volley of weapons, but quickly learned just how handy a simple replacement technique could be. Having given away his position though he was left with no choice but to attempt to move away and attempt to hide once again.

Before he could make it to his next hiding spot though Kakashi appeared in front of him.

Still angry over the things Kakashi had said that morning, and the night before he launched into Taijutsu frenzy as he attempted to land on hit. Sasuke threw a variety of punches and kicks and had not managed to land a single blow during the exchange. His anger was only rising though as the Jonin just dodged the attacks while still reading his book. It wasn't until Sasuke made the move to use a Katon technique that Kakashi had seemed to remove his nose from the book.

That was when Sasuke felt the ground beneath him trembling as he searched for any sign of Kakashi, who had dodged the Katon technique. The trembling was revealed to be Kakashi as his hands burst from out of the earth, latched onto the ankles of Sasuke, and pulled him under. It wasn't until Sasuke was neck deep within the earth that Kakashi once again revealed himself, which brought them to the current situation.

Instead of rising to the barb sent his way, Sasuke turned his head so that he could only see Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. He was angry with himself for forgetting one of the first things that Kakashi had taught him early on in their relationship. He wasn't going to give the Jonin the satisfaction of knowing that though, and so he tried to keep his face as unemotional as possible.

"I suppose I can leave you here for now and try to find the other two. Maybe I'll have more fun with them," said Kakashi under his breath as he turned to walk away.

'_I wonder what the little fox has cooked up for me,'_ thought Kakashi darkly as he decided to keep his book safe from harm in his hip pouch.

As he walked down the forest path he couldn't help but think back to the previous encounters with the blond demon vessel. His take on several of the encounters were slowly taking on another position as the nagging voice in the back of his head added commentary. Perhaps the greatest change was when he thought back to when he pulled the ANBU watch from Naruto, and let the villagers and several Shinobi do what they wished. The only thing that let him keep his job then was the actions of Danzo, and several other council members.

That still didn't help him from feeling disgusted with himself now that he thought back to the end result of those actions. It had gone against everything that he had learned from his former friends and teachers.

'_What would Obito say to me if he was around to witness what I had done? How would Sensei feel about me letting two children be subjected to such things when I had a chance to prevent it? What about Rin? How angry would she be with me right now,'_ mused Kakashi as he started to lose himself to the past. His imagination started to cook up images of what his friends would say to him had they still been around.

'_You are scum Kakashi. Not only did you break the rules of being a Shinobi, but you neglected your mission and let innocent people get hurt. Because of you that boy is scarred, AND several villagers were killed for breaking the laws set down by the Hokage. It is YOUR entire fault.'_

'_Obito would be the hardest on me I think. Sensei might be a little understanding, but in the end he would disagree with everything I had done. Rin would be angry because they were just kids, and she probably wouldn't be able to see past that,'_ thought Kakashi as his mind cranked out Obito's harsh words.

'_**Isn't it a shame that hindsight is such a bitch,'**_ taunted the new voice from the recesses of his mind. Shaking off the feelings the voice was generating he decided he needed to pay more attention to his surroundings.

Reaching out with his senses he could still feel Sasuke behind him struggling to free himself from his earthen prison. Without help it would take the boy till the end of the test to finally be able to wiggle himself free. It was a shame really that the boy would likely fail but that wouldn't stop him from training him in his free time.

He could barely pick up Sakura's presence on the outer rim of his senses. It seemed as if she had the most skill in chakra control but training under Tsunade that was expected. The amount of chakra she had to restrain probably wasn't that great yet, but if she kept up with her training it would only grow in leaps and bounds. It was somewhat of a surprise that he didn't pick up the scent of any perfume coming from her or any scented soaps and shampoos that most Kunoichi that age indulged in.

'_I'm guessing that would be Tsunade-sama's influence at work once again,'_ was the only thought he could come up with that answered that question.

He allowed himself a small frown though when he still couldn't pick up Naruto any where in the forest. Even when he closed his eyes and entered a light meditative state he couldn't pick up any sign of Naruto. Channeling a small amount of chakra to his nose proved to be rather ineffective as well.

From what he knew it shouldn't have been that easy for Naruto to suppress his chakra. The boy had too much chakra for him to have been able to do that in such a short amount of time. During his time watching Naruto he did know that the boy was gifted at hiding and concealing himself, but it had hardly been on this scale in the past. Previously it had only been good enough to throw off Villagers, and a hand full of Chunin and Jonin ninja. Now though he couldn't even pick up the slightest sound or snapped twig to lead him to the blond.

There always was the chance that Jiraiya had taught him how to hide his presence better or how to conceal all signs of his movement. What didn't make sense to the Jonin was how he was able to mask his chakra AND mask his scent at the same time.

'_I suppose I need to head after Sakura since I can't find the other one,'_ admitted Kakashi finally as he started to move in the direction he felt Sakura at.

Before he could make it too far though he noticed her moving from her previous location and further away from him. Her pace told him that she had either picked him up, or was moving to set up or attempt to come at him from behind. Either way though he wasn't going to give her the pleasure of catching him by surprise with one of the killer punches she now packed. Stepping up his pace to a light jog, he moved to try and cut her off before she got too far away.

He could already see a flash of pink hair through the leaves and hear the sound of her feet bouncing off the branches as she jumped from tree to tree. It would only be a matter of seconds before they crossed paths now. With that in mind Kakashi stopped and ducked behind the trunk of a tree to wait and get the drop on Sakura.

'_She should be passing by right about now,''_ thought Kakashi as he started to do a series of hand seals. He had just finished the seals and turned to look at his victim when he noticed something very important. The sound of her footsteps had stopped.

Looking around he found no sign of where she had gone, just signs of where she had come from. Even as he stretched his senses out he could no longer feel her anywhere. He couldn't feel any chakra in the air, which would have indicated a Genjutsu used. Frowning he looked at the last place he knew she had been and started to search from there.

"What the hell she vanished in thin air," muttered Kakashi as he started to looked around once again.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

Naruto watched as Kakashi searched around for the female member of Team 7. While watching he was smiling as the Jonin found no trace of the girl or where she had gone. After several minutes of searching it seemed as if the Jonin had finally given up and started to trace the girl's tracks back to where she had come from. Even after the Jonin was out of eyesight Naruto stood there waiting until the man was far enough away to finally reveal himself. Five minutes later Naruto stepped away from the massive redwood trunk and released his hold on the fuming Haruno.

"What in the world do you think you are doing Naruto," hissed Sakura as she rounded on the boy and prepared to pound him. The entire time she was fighting to keep form yelling at the top of her lungs at the blond for scaring her to death and then holding her against him like he had.

"Kakashi-sensei was about to intercept you and I thought I would save you the trouble. Besides I needed to talk to you so that we can pass this stupid test," answered Naruto as he motioned for her to calm down.

"You didn't have the scare me to death with that trick you pulled! Just what they hell did you do any ways? How did he _not_ see us when he was right in front of us," fired Sakura without giving him a chance to explain anything.

When Sakura quit firing questions at Naruto she could see him rubbing his temples as if he was fighting off a headache. She stared at him for several minutes as he continued doing that and the finally relaxed and stared up into the clear blue sky. If she didn't know better should would have thought that he was ignoring her, but having seen him do the same thing numerous times in the past she knew there had to be a reason for his spacing out.

"Look I'm sorry I scared you, but it needed to be done. If I didn't it would have taken us longer to meet together. Right now we need to go and dig up Sasuke before Kakashi-sensei comes back and realizes he completely missed us," answered Naruto finally.

He really didn't feel like answering any questions about how he hid himself and her from Kakashi. If at all possible he wanted to avoid any more questions about that particular skill. Knowing the person he was trying to hide the truth from though, she would lock away what information she had and try to piece things together as he revealed more and more about himself and his abilities.

He was lucky though since the Kunoichi nodded in agreement and followed Naruto's lead. As they were going Naruto outlined a plan that he wanted her to convey to Sasuke once she had freed him from what ever Kakashi had done. Even as he outlined the plan he could feel Kakashi moving back towards them once he unraveled the **Kitsune Genkaku** that he had been hiding in earlier. Given his current pace they wouldn't be able to make it to Sasuke and free him before Kakashi caught up with them.

"Sakura you go on ahead and tell Sasuke the plan. I'm going to try and hold of Kakashi-sensei and give you more time. What ever you do though be sure to rub in the fact that we are Genin, and aren't expected to take on a Jonin by our self regardless of the training we have been through," ordered Naruto as he stopped and prepared to turn and face the incoming Jonin.

"I'll try Naruto but it might be a little tough. Sasuke-kun can be a little hard headed at times, as you know. Hopefully what ever Kakashi-sensei did though has cooled down his ego some," answered Sakura as she continued on through the trees.

Turning Naruto faced the direction he could feel Kakashi coming from and decided to try to lead the Jonin away. After moving form his spot he moved to the left and continued on at a relatively slow pace as he waited for any sign of Kakashi finally giving chase. With the **Kitsune Genkaku** off it should have been fairly easy for the Jonin to pick up his scent or at least his chakra signature. Naruto wasn't let down as Kakashi stopped his pursuit of Sakura and started to move parallel to the route Naruto was taking. Naruto went on the move again, and this time he didn't stop until he made it to a clearing that had a creek dissecting it.

Not long after Naruto landed, Kakashi landed on the opposite side of the clearing cutting off Naruto's chance to advance any further. The two Shinobi stood there sizing each other up silently. Neither of them said a word as Kakashi eyed Naruto without his book to obstruct his line of sight. To Naruto it seemed as if the man was actually going to take him serious in this encounter, and that alone earned the man a few marks on the redemption chart.

"So now that you have me interested would you mind telling me how you managed to hide yourself from me? I'm also going to guess that you were the one who hid Sakura from me as well so that she could go and try to free Sakura," questioned Kakashi finally while looking Naruto up and down.

Naruto quirked his head to the side, similar to the way many animals do, and looked at Kakashi as if he was confused by what he meant. The confusion started to melt away though and his always-ready smirk took its place as Naruto revealed his canines to the masked ninja. The entire time his head was slowly moving to a more upright position as the smirk grew. By the time Kakashi could see his canines clearly Naruto's head was upright with a fanged grin and a slightly predatory look in his eyes.

"Now why would I ever do such a thing like that? The way I see it I should be asking you a fair number of questions about our past."

Kakashi shivered slightly at the cold way Naruto had answered his question. It would have been too much like a dream come true if the boy ignored all the slights committed in the past by him. Hearing the words though only assured Kakashi to take the blue-eyed boy seriously. Before Kakashi could say or think of anything else he had to jump to the side as Naruto hurled a handful of shuriken in his direction.

From there the two exchanged weapons for several seconds as both parties started to grow frustrated at not being able to land any blows on their opponents. Both sides made the choice to give up the weapons and closed in on each other to try their hand in a Taijutsu match.

Kakashi seemed to have the advantage when they first started to exchange a series of kicks and punches. He had more experience, superior reach, height, and speed. It seemed like an uneven match as Kakashi started to press Naruto into giving ground. That all changed when Kakashi missed a punch and tried to turn it into a roundhouse kick and Naruto bent over backwards to avoid the attack.

As Naruto bent backwards and moved to flip back up the breeze that had been blowing through the clearing stopped for a split second. In that short amount of time wind seemed to concentrate on Naruto's feet as he flipped up and a blast of chakra laced wind forced Kakashi to flip backwards to avoid being split in half. The only thing that saved Kakashi was the sixth sense one gains from living and fighting through a war.

Both fighters took the small break in combat to compose themselves as Kakashi tried to figure out what had just happened. He eyed the gouge in the earth critically as he tried to come up with an answer for what Naruto did. At the same time though he tried to keep an eye on Naruto, who had settled into a stance he had never seen before. During this time the Jonin felt his left arm twitching and on one occasion had to fight to keep it from coming up to peel back the barrier to his Sharingan eye.

Before Kakashi could think too much about the issue though, Naruto charged forward once again, but faster then he had in their previous match up. When he was just under five feet away Naruto jumped and started to spin in an attempt to pull off a flying round house kick.

Kakashi stood there wondering if the boy knew that such an attack would be useless from that range but quickly changed his mind when he saw the air around Naruto's leg rippling. His keen eye was the only thing that saved him from a sudden burst of blue flame that arced over his head and away from Naruto's still spinning form. He had to roll to the side as Naruto brought his other leg down and a sudden burst of wind caused Kakashi's pants to flap as another gouge was created in the forest floor from the attack and a large plume of dust and dirt was sent into the air.

Now the urge to use his Sharingan was growing exponentially as he started dodging more of the strange attacks from Naruto, and even send in a few of his own kicks and punches when he was able to get in close enough. Slowly though he started to see a pattern in the way Naruto attacked and by watching the movements he felt he could pick apart this new style of Taijutsu.

"_To launch the "wind" based attacks it seems he needs to be able to create his own "wind" with his body movements. That it probably why he does a number of spinning kicks, and heel drops. It seems though he can do the same with his punches, but they don't require the same movement his kicks need to create the proper amount of wind. For the fire I would think it would be as easy as causing friction with the air around him. I still can't figure out how he is causing it to come out in those blue flames,' theorized Kakashi as he moved in to block a wide kick from Naruto and slammed a palm strike into the boy's chest to send him flying._

"Your style had me confused for a few minutes but the same trick never works twice on me Naruto," taunted the Jonin as he watched the boy get up to his feet and breathe deeply. "I'm interested in learning just what it is you are doing though. It seems similar to that of the Juken but extremely different at the same time," continued Kakashi.

While Naruto was standing there panting and trying to regroup he couldn't help but be a little angry with the situation. He had thought he would be able to defeat the cocky Jonin but now he was finding out just how wrong he was. This didn't seem like his fights with Jiraiya or any of the others.

'_Were they holding back the entire time? Or was it just by luck and surprise that I won against them,'_ questioned Naruto as he sunk a canine into his lip to keep from growling at the condescending tone being used by Kakashi.

"_**Did you honestly think you were already on the level of a Sannin or Jonin Naruto? They wouldn't fight you with everything they had unless you pushed them to it. Granted you surprised Jiraiya the first time you fought all those years ago, but remember how you never landed such a blow again,"**_ stated Hikari regretfully.

She knew just how much Naruto hated being treated with "kid gloves", and to find out several of his wins might be tainted just because of that only caused his blood to boil. It was something that had been done to him by many people during his short life but never before had it been done by those he loved or cared for. That is what he thought at least.

"_**You might be able to take on many of the Chunin in this village and other villages. There is a large difference though between a regular Chunin and an Elite Jonin. What you are fighting now is one of the Elites of Konoha, just like that man months ago. Both are above your current level of skill and to fight them straight forward would be pointless. You need to fight them how you used to fight before gaining all of the skills you now possess. You need to go back to your roots and try to fight like your father. Hit them hard and fast and get back before they realize what happened. If that doesn't work then you need to fight like a Kitsune,"**_ lectured Hikari as she felt his anger rising. If she didn't cool him down soon some of his Kitsune features might just reveal themselves and that would prove to be dangerous with the person he was facing.

Naruto stopped breathing so heavily once her words registered in his mind. Instead of trying to pull air in he controlled his breathing so that he was once again breathing evenly. The anger that was rolling off him was now replaced with a serene aura as he thought back to his early lessons with Anko and Ibiki when he was just starting on the path of a Shinobi. Ironically, it was also what caused him to take an interest in explosives and led to the creation of his Flash Bang.

'_It was also one of the only reasons why I was able to fend off that Hakai bastard for so long. I didn't try to fight him directly but indirectly,'_ said Naruto mentally as he thought back to that fight.

"Fine Kakashi-sensei, I can't beat you with Taijutsu just yet, but one day I will make you pay for what you did to me. Right now though I swear you will regret everything you've done up until now. You might not regret it now, or tomorrow, but you WILL regret everything you've done one day," growled out Naruto as he started another charge towards the Jonin.

Kakashi was naturally surprised at the words said by Naruto. He didn't let it shake him up too much though when he noticed the boy charging at him once again. Deciding to see what else the boy had in mind, he braced himself and observed the boy's movements with a critical eye. He could tell Naruto was moving faster then normal but he couldn't figure out just how he was moving faster. He knew the boy wore weights but he never noticed him remove them. Because of that, he could only assume that he still had the extra weight weighing him down.

Right when they were about to meet Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke. In Naruto's place was a log with the face that many of Kakashi's Ninken wore on their small cloaks. He hadn't expected something like that from the blond. As he watched the log fall to the ground though he noticed something he should have expected. That something was a silver canister tied to the back of the log that just had a metal bar pop away.

'_Oh shit,'_ was the only thing Kakashi could think to describe what was just about to happen to him.

A blinding white flash and loud notice greeted Kakashi as the Flash Bang went off right in his face. From there the Jonin dropped to his knees cradling his ears as he clenched his eyes shut. He was cursing himself for forgetting such an important detail about Naruto and his hobbies. It was right around this time that he heard something he had thought to be impossible, and caused him to pale considerably as he rushed to perform a Kawarimi.

Right as he finished the technique a large fireball engulfed the place he once stood in. As he landed in a tree, he was thankful for being able to process and perform jutsu faster then most people would dream of. Unfortunately for Hatake Kakashi he also had to deal with someone who was just as good as he was at sensing chakra.

He hadn't been in the tree for more then thirty seconds when it started to shake violently and pitch left and right. By now his eyesight was starting to clear up and he could just make out Sakura's pink hair as she struggled to uproot the tree he was perched in. The veins in her arms could be visible as she struggled to haul the tree out of the earth but Kakashi could tell that the roots were holding on firmly to their home. Just as it looked like Sakura was about to give up on her hopeless task, she cocked an arm back and slammed her fist into the trunk splintering it as she fired another punch in the same place.

After three such punches the tree started to fall to the side and left the Jonin with little else to do. He was forced to abandon his perch and move through the trees as quickly and safely as his current predicament allowed him to.

'_Damn, I forgot how much those things screw with my inner ear. To anyone they might not be able to perform tree jumping let alone basic fighting,'_ mumbled Kakashi as he once again cursed the creation of the Flash Bang. By now of course his eyes had returned to normal, with just a few dots that blurred his vision. His balance would take a few more minutes to return to normal due to being caught right in front of the device.

The Jonin had just jumped to a new tree on the edge of the clearing where they started when he slipped suddenly and a blue and red fireball sailed overhead. Had he landed properly the twin attacks might have just landed but in his case he was lucky that he was thrown off balance for once. Immediately after the fireballs had passed though he felt a change in the wind and quickly vacated his position in favor of keeping his body in once piece. Looking back at his previous spot he was pleased he made the right choice as the trunk of the tree was sliced in half and the top toppled down to the forest floor.

He once again felt Sakura charging up from behind him as he quickly jumped down to the floor to avoid the fist she had just slammed into yet another unsuspecting tree. The second he landed on the forest floor though he knew he was in trouble as he locked eyes with Sasuke and Naruto.

The two boys moved towards the Jonin and quickly sent in a series of punches that were either parried or just deflected off to the side. Both had to pull back several times to keep from hitting the other and in those few cases Kakashi managed to land a blow on each of them. Seconds into their fight with the Jonin though, Sakura joined and turned the tables on their masked leader.

With all three Genin attacking him at the same time and with varying speeds it made it hard for Kakashi to figure out which was the more dangerous opponent. Each of them was deadly in their own right. Sasuke had superb Taijutsu, Sakura had the deadly strength that could send him through several trees, and Naruto had the strange Taijutsu ability to use the elements as weapons. If he tried to make one Genin the center of attention in this fight he may end up paying for it when the other two press any advantage he gives them.

The three Genin were slowly wearing the Jonin down though. At the same time two of the three Genin were also becoming weary as they intense Taijutsu battle continued. Kakashi was growing tired and sore from the hard blows from Sakura and Naruto. The quick and precise movements of Sasuke wasn't helping him much either.

Sasuke and Sakura didn't possess the stamina that Naruto held and even though the battle had only been going on for a little over five minutes they were growing tired. All three had taken a hit or five from the Jonin, and one or two from each other. Naruto for his part though managed to shake most of the blows off and continued to press Kakashi with a growing vigor, almost like a shark in the water as a feeding frenzy starts. All he needed was for one little mistake on the part of the Jonin to finish the fight.

As if nature was answering his call Kakashi slipped on the loose gravel kicked up by Sakura's monstrous strength. That ended up being the only opening Sasuke and Naruto needed as Naruto whipped a leg out to kick Kakashi solidly in the abdomen. Sasuke quickly followed it up by sweeping the legs out from under the Jonin from behind, and Sakura came in to finish it with a devastating punch that pinned the silver-haired man in the crater created from the blow.

As the Kunoichi of the team delivered the final blow each member of Team 7 jumped away to wait for the cloud of dirt to settle down and to see their handy work. Each had a small smile on their face as they thought about what they had done to the man. While they were waiting they could hear the alarm go off in the background, signaling the end of the test. None of that mattered to them though. That was until they heard clapping coming from the same place that the alarm was.

"Bravo you three did an excellent job, but you never got a bell from me. I suppose that means you all fail the test," stated the Jonin with silver hair as his eye curved up. Even with his mask on, they could see his smile at their "misfortune".

Each of the Genin looked back at the crater they were watching and were surprised to see a scarecrow with a mop of silver hair. The face of the figure had a smile plastered on it along with its tongue sticking out in mockery of them. Around it lay the sticks and hay that used to make up its body and shreds of an outfit similar to what their Jonin leader had on.

"I have to admit, I never thought you three would be able to work together like that. I suppose Naruto was the distraction while Sakura dug out Sasuke and talked him into helping. I'm surprised that you were willing to help them though Sasuke," added the man, gaining their attention once again.

"I only did it because I was promised a chance to knock that aggravating smile off your face," snapped the Uchiha as his lips curled up into a snarl.

"Regardless of why we worked together we DID work together Hatake," added Naruto, as he looked the Copy-nin in his only visible eye.

'_It seems he knew the reason behind this test the entire time. That's kind of odd though since I do remember him making a move for the bells during some of our exchanges,'_ thought Kakashi as he slipped off the training post he had been sitting on.

He was surprised at how things turned out. He didn't doubt that Sakura would work together with Naruto, but he hand doubted they would ever get the Uchiha to play along. It seemed though all they needed was to find a mutual enemy and use that to motivate the dark-haired boy into working with them. Kakashi's earlier words and actions probably helped to nudge Sasuke into such an act. It would be amusing to see if they could continue working together down the line and not end up killing each other.

"I suppose you are right Naruto. You guessed the hidden meaning of this exercise and I have a feeling you knew what this was for the entire time," said the Jonin as he walked over to his new team.

"As you may have noticed by now the objective was not to get the bells from me, but for the three of you to work together. The bells were there to distract you from the fact that a single Genin would not be able to beat one of the elite Jonin of a village. By working together you proved that you had what it takes to represent the village of Konoha as Genin," added the man as he paused in front of them and settled with a hand on his hip.

He looked over each of his new students as he waited to observe their reactions. Naruto seemed to be indifferent about the entire thing. It seemed as if he knew everything that needed to be said already and was just waiting for be let go. Sakura looked to barely be keeping herself from jumping up and down shouting for joy at passing the test. Who could blame her though, the odds were supposed to be against them from the start of it. Sasuke looked to be developing a twitch at the corner of his lips as they threatened to break out into a smile, but that would be impossible. It was more likely he was fighting the urge to smirk or frown at not having guessed the meaning of the test.

"Since you all seem to have things you need to do… I suppose I can go ahead and dismiss you so that you can clean up and catch some sleep. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto you are expected to meet me at the bridge before the training grounds at eight tomorrow morning for Team 7's first official mission and team photo," declared Kakashi as he smiled as his new students.

This time Sakura didn't fight the urge, and jumped up shouting about her accomplishment. She was so caught up in her actions that she gave both Naruto and Sasuke a hug that turned the boy's blue from lack of air. As the second ticked by she still hadn't let them go as she continued jumping and yelling, "I did it! I did it," and every so often there would be a, "We did it," added in.

The two boys were surprised by her actions at first. Naruto smiled slightly at the antics of the Kunoichi but that slowly turned into a grimace as her hold on him tightened with every word she said. Even Sasuke looked to be smiling a little as the embrace of the girl but that too was changing, as oxygen was becoming a rare commodity for him. Minutes into the celebration both boys were fighting to free themselves from the bear hug they were being given by their female teammate.

"Um Sakura, you might want to let Naruto and Sasuke go before you choke them to death," commented Kakashi dryly as he watched the boys now turn purple. The girl paused in her celebration as she looked at her arms that had wrapped around the necks of both of the Shinobi.

The girl let out an "eep" as she released her hold on the two, while blushing a shade of red that would put Hinata to shame. She then started to franticly check over both of them and fussing like a mother hen as she tried to make sure they were both fine.

"_**It seems she does have Tsunade's strength when she gets angry or overjoyed,"**_ stated Hikari as she prayed the girl would learn to control herself. She may not have felt the pain from the "hug", but she could tell the damage that had been done. Not to mention Naruto was now complaining about his life flashing before his eyes as he tried to wave Sakura's attention off and onto the other boy.

"Well don't forget about the meeting tomorrow," was the last thing said by Kakashi was he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

_**Kakashi**_

'_Things might not be as bad as I feared. At least they are civil with each other. The only thing I may have to fear is the payback promised by Naruto,'_ thought Kakashi as he walked into the building that housed the inner workings of the village.

This was where teams were assigned missions, and vital documents were held. Within the walls of the Hokage tower was a collection of offices and employees who all worked to make sure the village was run smoothly. This was one of the few places within the walls of Konoha that was opened to the public that you would always find people scurrying about doing some kind of work. If a villager ever needed help they all knew to just try to make it to the tower and they were bound to find a Shinobi to aide them.

The office that Kakashi was interested in though was at the top of the small complex that stood four stories high above ground and ran nearly ten stories beneath the streets of Konoha. The lower portion of the building housed the darker aspects of the village, while the upper portions held the parts that most civilians and other countries would be interested in; at least in times of peace. It was with that in mind that Kakashi made his way up to the office of the Sandaime Hokage.

Along the way he saw old friends, and other Shinobi of Konoha who would greet him or shout out taunts. The latter part was limited to a small group though and none was more prominent in that group then a certain man in Green Spandex. He was also one of the few that the famed Hatake Kakashi, son of the White Fang of Konoha feared. That fear was not born out of a fear for his life though.

'_Hm, I wonder if it is possible to die from embarrassment. If anyone could accomplish such a goal I imagine Gai could,' mused the man as he kept his ears open for the loud declarations of the Taijutsu user._

When he finally made it to a pair of double doors with the symbol for "Fire Shadow" engraved he let out a silent sigh as he neared them. Even with his goal in sight though he kept his guard up for the slightest hint his archenemy was around. He wasn't surprised to hear a voice order him into the room as he finally made it in front of the doors. So pushing open the heavy wooden doors the silver haired man silently strode to stand in front of his leader and a man very few would hope to cross. So far everything had gone as he had expected on his trip to this room. What he saw inside the room though surprised him greatly.

Around the room stood some of the most influential people in all of Konoha. Clan heads from the Inuzuka, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Aburame, and the Elders of Konoha lined the walls of the room. Also in the room were some of the strongest Jonin produced by Konoha; including Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma, Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, and several high-ranking ANBU members. In the middle and right in front of Kakashi sat Tsunade and Jiraiya of the Sannin, and a smiling Sandaime Hokage. The smile though didn't seem to be directed at Kakashi, no, it was directed at the only female of the legendary students taught by the Sandaime Hokage.

"Welcome Kakashi you made it just in time to hear some very pleasant news," stated Sarutobi as he motioned for Kakashi to take a place with his fellow Jonin along the wall of the room.

"Now as I was saying Tsunade. I am growing too old for this job and I feel that it is time that I passed on the mantle to another. It may be hard for you to accept but I would like for you to replace me and claim the title of Godaime Hokage," stated the man while still smiling at the girl who had grown into a very powerful woman.

"WHAT! Why me Sarutobi-sensei," screeched the woman as she jumped up from her chair. No one was surprised when the chair crashed into the wall and caused just barely kept from flying out into the hall. The only thing stopping it was the reinforced steel and brick that was used to offer more protection to the Hokage.

"I would think that was obvious. Would you prefer Jiraiya to take the office and abuse certain parts of it," joked the village leader while laughing at the expressions of several of the females in the room.

Tsunade, like every other woman in the room, had grown deathly pale at the comment of the old man. It wasn't a secret that Jiraiya was an open pervert, often claiming to be a mega pervert when harassed by the likes of Naruto. To even mention him in control of something like the viewing globe used by the Sandaime to watch over the village was borderline insane.

No longer would they be able to catch the man and ensure he was punished for his crimes. The white haired lecher would be able to watch all of them freely with little to protect them from his prying eyes. No one of the fairer sex would be safe from the eyes of the writer of the stories that kept many lonely men company.

"Hell no, you know I would never let that bastard do such a thing," roared Tsunade as she slammed her fist down on the desk in front of her.

"Then its settled Tsunade-hime. You shall take up the mantle of Godaime Hokage at the time I stated. Not only will Konoha be hosting the Chunin exam within three months but we shall celebrate the Godaime Hokage as well," declared the Sandaime as he continued to smile at the seething woman.

"Until that time Tsunade-hime you will be working along side of me to help ease you into the role of Hokage. We will officially celebrate the occasion on the day of the Chunin Exams finals in front of all of the lords and Daimyos from around the continent," declared one of the elders.

At the same time several shouts of joy and declaration of being saved was heard from around the room. The one who was "passed up" for the position just smiled at his friend as he patted her on the back. If anyone knew what she was thinking it would be him, and he could probably share her thoughts on numerous levels. Both had lost a great deal in the name of Konoha but they would both continue to uphold the traditions of their homeland. It may be because of that that they both would do anything to ensure the protection of their newfound family.

It was about this time that several small explosions went off. Instead of smoke and debris though, waves of paint coated the wall and anything to the side and in front of the last person to enter the room. Because of this explosion of paint Sarutobi Asuma and Maito Gai were covered in an assortment of colors. To many they now looked like a pair of barber shop poles flanking Kakashi. The Silver-haired Jonin had not faired any better though.

Someone paint had erupted up from his flak jacket and into his face, up the wall, and onto the ceiling of the Hokage's office. Instead of the red and white that had hit the Jonin beside him, he was unfortunate enough to be subject to a dark red. To many the color instantly reminded them of something they had seen while out in the field working, blood. It didn't help that the paint was running down and staining the carpet and clothing of Kakashi.

When the explosions had first occurred several of the ANBU members moved to guard the Hokage and the clan heads that had been in the room. Once everyone was certain that there was nothing to harm him, they all looked in the direction that the commotion had originated from.

Nothing was said as all eyes locked onto the still forms of Asuma, Gai, and Kakashi. It wasn't long though before indignant shouts started pouring out of those who did not appreciate what had just occurred. They were the ones who held a deep hate of the one they knew had to be responsible for the humiliation of the three who were the victim of his latest "attack".

Others though laughed loudly or tried to restrain their laughter until they had more privacy. Some, Anko and Jiraiya, had even fallen to the floor in their mirth. Others, like Gai, were jumping around the room cheering on the boy for his accomplishment and "burning flames of youth shining brightly". None of them though could match the most important person in that room.

All eyes had locked onto the Hokage as he laughed at the latest prank committed by the person who sought out his position. Even though he himself had some paint splatter on him, he laughed. Slowly others joined in after pausing to listen to their leader laugh at his own misfortune.

"Haha, it seems Naruto has struck once again. I wish you luck with him Kakashi because you are going to have your hands full," was all the Hokage could choke out.

Kakashi for his part wasn't laughing as he lowered his ruined book. Instead, a twitch started to appear over his eye as he looked at his favorite book in the series created by Jiraiya. Instead, he seemed ready to break into tears as the piece of literature dropped to the floor and a pool of red and white paint. At that time, he didn't think he could feel any worst then he already did, but that was before he caught the scent of burning paper coming from his pants.

His visible eye flew open as his hand shot down towards where the smell was coming from. Before he could reach it though a cloud of yellow dust was seen erupting from the top of his pants, and forcibly out of the pant's legs and wrappings. At first, no one knew what to make of this latest event but that soon changed when those that were caught in the billowing cloud suddenly felt the urge to scratch themselves.

Yes, the latest cloud was a cloud of fast acting itching powder that had someone managed to land on everyone on that side of the room. It wasn't often that one could see Hyuga Hiashi scratching himself in public in places most would only do in private. It was a rare sight to see even the most stoic of the Elders forcibly scratching themselves and rubbing along any surface that could offer them relief.

What would stick in the minds of many though was the sudden strip show put on by the Toad Sannin as his clothes were thrown off in an attempt to scratch himself better. Many knew he felt little shame in his lechery but none thought he would go that far just to scratch himself while rolling around in just boxers.

Those lucky enough to avoid this latest attack once again erupted into laughter at the misfortune of their peers and leaders. Yes, even the Sandaime had some how managed to be effected by this latest prank. Those that took the time to watch him would notice that he was trying to use his chair to scratch his back and other portions of his body while trying to continue to play the role of village leader.

"Haha thank you Kakashi! Now you get to deal with all of his pranks and I get a few months off," yelled Anko as she erupted into another fit of laughter while pointing at the silently fuming man.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

This is probably the longest AN I will ever make, but it is for a good reason.

Hey everyone. Been a while since I've done anything with this story. If you have been reading Altered Destiny you may know part of the problem I've had with updating. Between time, loss of muse, and lack of inspiration from the source material I've finally managed to crank this one out. I had hoped to update this story sooner, WAY sooner, but sometimes life can be a pain.

I know I said I would make a sequel. Well I lied obviously. Thinking it over I decided to just leave it all as one story. I might change my mind when I have a big break, like say a time jump to move into Part 2 of the canon story. With that in mind this may very well go up until when the time skip occurred in the actual series.

I know there is some concern for Naruto being too strong, and I will try to keep that in mind as I go along. I know what I've said and done this chapter may seem like a cheap fix, but it is only the start of attempting to correct the problem without a major overhaul of previous chapters. That would be a last resort honestly, and I am not looking forward to having to attempt such a feat, and I know many of you may not want that to happen. I'll do what I can to fix the balance of power, and hopefully make it realistic.

As far as following the storyline from the series, I may do that. I like to try and come up with new an innovative ways to add twists to the story. So expect some changes along the way. I will be doing the Wave Mission to help tie up some loose ends, but it won't be like it was done in the actual series. There should be enough changes to keep it interesting, and hopefully you won't be bored by it. I don't know about everyone else but I get tired of seeing the exact same Wave Mission in some of these stories, and the same can be said with the Chunin exams at times.

I mentioned something about cutting chapter length down to make it easier to update, and again I guess I lied to everyone. I'd love to cut the length down, but sometimes that becomes easier said then done. I enjoy writing the long installments, and it seems like doing anything else, short of filler chapters, just wouldn't be my style. I'll try to update as frequently as I can, and hopefully I can get back to the once a month, and maybe on good times, twice a month routine. Just try not to be disappointed if I take too much time. I haven't given up or forgotten about this or any of my other works.

Those keeping up with the series, and having seen Chapter 367 will know that certain parts of this story have become invalid. I will not be going back and changing those parts of this story though. I will keep the names I have given to those characters. Should I do any other story I will go by what we have been given in the Canon Story line.

I think I took up enough time and space with this though. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to get back on track with things. As I've said before, I will never just drop a story. If I take a while to update it just means I've been caught up in the grand scheme of life. I will continue to try and entertain you with my take on the series, and hopefully I can keep you interested in the story.

Please, Read and review.


	14. The Light Within the Mist

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

_**

* * *

**_

Konoha 

Konoha was a Village built around tradition and very few could rival the traditions held by the Shinobi community. There were celebrations for the first successful year in the Academy, parties for learning difficult jutsu, large celebrations for graduating from the Academy, and shortly after the last one was the party of successfully passing the test given by the assigned Jonins. That was perhaps one of the largest parties any Genin would have, and could only be rivaled by becoming a Chunin, Jonin, or ANBU.

Then again, some people really don't need a reason to party and drink.

This was often the situation Naruto found himself in since Jiraiya and Tsunade had moved in with him. Therefore, it wasn't a big surprise for him when he walked in and was greeted by all of those close to him. This time though instead of all of his classmates it was just the people close to him, his family.

Walking in he was jumped by Jiraiya, who was trying his best to strangle the life out of the boy for what had occurred earlier that day. They wrestled around for several minutes and in that time the others just laughed as the two fought each other.

"Do you know how embarrassed I was because of your stunt! Now none of those Kunoichi in the room will ever think of going out with a "Gentlemen" like me," yelled Jiraiya as he pinned Naruto to the floor and started to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Yeah right Ero-Sennin. Like any of them would want anything to do with a perverted old man like you," retorted the boy as he tried to wiggle free of the white-haired man.

By now, the Toad Sennin had pinned Naruto's arms down and was currently wiggling a wet finger in both of Naruto's ears. At the same time the boy was calling Jiraiya every name he could think of, and a few of which that caused Anko to look awed. Even with all the names being thrown out and the threats from the boy, Jiraiya continued to torture the boy for "making him" strip down to his undergarments.

'_Screw this crap. Ero-Sennin is going to learn not to mess with me,'_ thought Naruto as he continued to struggle until he finally freed up enough space to move a single leg.

Once his leg was free, he pulled it back as far forward as he could while using his strength to raise his lower body off the floor. Once he reached as far as he could he sent his foot backwards as fast and hard as possible into the softest spot of the perverted Hermit, the groin.

Naruto was rewarded with a high-pitched squeal as Jiraiya feel on his side cradling his injured pride. The man who was feared throughout the Shinobi world as part of the legendary team taught by the Sandaime Hokage was now crying on the floor while holding his crotch. It was a site his enemies would have never believed possible.

Naruto had learned through his life to never waste a chance to escape and quickly took advantage of this one to do just that. He rushed up to his room and slammed the door shut just in time to hear Jiraiya stumbling up the stairs after him. With his back to the door, he could hear the hermit yelling at him to come back and take his punishment like a man.

"Open this door brat or I'll make you sorry when we train again," yelled Jiraiya as he pounded on the door. His voice was still a little high pitched due to his previous injury.

"Not in this life time Ero-Sennin! That's what you get for being such a pervert and even thinking about going out with Nee-chan and the others," retorted Naruto as the door started to creak from the force the Sennin was putting into his strikes.

"You ungrateful runt! Open this door now or I will make things ten times worst when we train again. Better yet I'll tell your girlfriend that you still sleep with a stuffed animal and wear boxers with hearts, frogs, and foxes on them," yelled the man once again.

"You do that an I'll make sure you look like a blueberry the next time you leave this house, and it won't be one of those washable dyes," screamed Naruto.

The other residents of the house were too busy laughing at the exchange between the two. Slowly though the humor of the situation was starting to wear off and it became more of an annoyance then anything else. If you learned anything by living in the same house as Tsunade, it would be never annoy her or get in the way of her enjoying a good party.

"JIRAYA start acting your age," yelled his teammate as she started to stomp up the stairs towards the source of the noise.

All the racket being caused stopped instantly and the sound of wood hitting wood was heard as Jiraiya ran down the hall and looked for an exit. It was a lesson he learned long ago and something that was useful when dealing with Tsunade. Sometimes discretion was the better part of valor, and that was only supported by the fact that the woman in question could kill you in several hundred different ways.

Once the noise had died down, Naruto slowly opened his door to peek out. When he was sure he couldn't hear, see, or smell the Toad Hermit he slipped out and down the stairs. The sight that greeted him was one he had been waiting forever since he had joined the Shinobi Academy, his family smiling and waiting to congratulate him on becoming a Ninja.

Inside the dinning room sat Ibiki, Anko, Shizune, Tsunade, Iruka, Sandaime, and the Ichiraku family. Each of them was like family in one way or another and had always been there as long as he had known them. Now they stood there with smiles on their faces and glasses in their hands as they welcomed him into what many would call adulthood.

"You finally made it didn't you runt," said Teuchi as he ruffled Naruto's hair with a smile on his face. The ramen chef smiled as Naruto pouted at the "runt" comment, only to smile a second later.

"Yep old man but if you aren't careful I'll make sure to regret all the time you called me runt! I'm just a late bloomer is all so give me some time to grow," shouted Naruto while trying to sound hurt at the end. His threat didn't carry any malice in it but everyone knew he could pull a prank at any time. The only places that seemed to be safe were the Ramen Stand and the Hokage's Tower.

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure you will grow up to be a very handsome man one day. Who knows, you might even have a fan club named after you," cut in Ayame as she elbowed her father slightly and leaned down to look Naruto in the eyes.

It was amusing to everyone to watch as his eyes went wide and the he started to blush at the compliment from a person he considered a pretty older sister. It was different then Anko in a way since even her kind side was a little rough. Ayame and Shizune had always been kinder to him and the way they talked to him always made him blush.

"Stop that nee-chan you're embarrassing me," mumbled Naruto as the girl giggled and then pecked him on his cheek. That only served to cause his blush to increase as he tried to escape her grasp when she hugged him to her as well.

"Enough with the cuddling of the brat. I think its time we get this party going," yelled Tsunade with a red hue already forming on her cheeks as she hoisted a battle of sake in the air and cheered.

With that declaration by the Slug Princess everyone started to talk a little more. Naruto was often asked what he looked forward to now that he had graduated, officially. Aside from that, he was given small gifts from those present. These gifts often ranged from weapons, clothes, scrolls, and other assorted items that they felt he may find an interest in or see a use for in the future. Shizune and Tsunade had taken it upon themselves to give him a rather _large_ first aid kit, along with a scroll to seal the kit into to make for easy traveling.

As the party continued though things slowed down and conversations were now said over a table instead of standing around the room. This was the lull in the night that Naruto had been waiting for, and when he had the chance he slipped out of the house and out into the forest. He quickly made his way through the forest and towards where he had fought the nuke-nin from Kumo months ago. Even now, the land that had been destroyed was slow in coming back to life. For Naruto though it was the perfect place to meet the person he owed a great deal to, Gamabunta.

It had been something the great toad asked of Naruto when he officially became a Genin, and Naruto wasn't one to deny such a request. All he had to do was summon the toad boss and then they would have a chat of some kind. The specifics he didn't know but he did know it may have had something to do with his father. So with that in mind, and hundreds of questions behind it, he rolled up his sleeve, bit his thumb and ran the blood soaked digit across his tattoo. After building up an enormous amount of chakra in that arm he slammed his palm down onto the ground and was engulfed in a billowing cloud of smoke.

Once the smoke had covered him he could feel himself rising up into the sky. A lesser person might have become afraid at the rate he moved up but he was some what use to it from his fights with Tsunade and Choji. Soon he could feel his climb stopping and realized he was standing atop of something that didn't feel like anything he had felt before. Not long after that came a gust of wind that quickly cleared the ninja smoke away to reveal a massive toad with a white belt, giant tanto, blue vest, and a large ornate pipe in its mouth.

"_**Well well if it isn't the little tadpole Naruto,"**_ grunted the giant toad as his eye focused in on the bundle of blond hair. _**"I have been waiting for some time to finally speak with you in person and judge your character for myself. I must say though I expected you to be a little taller,"**_ added the toad with a little laugh.

"Don't mock me just because you are the size of a mountain," screamed the boy who was growing tired of being called short.

"_**If it makes you feel any better though, your father had the same problem until he reached his mid-teens. Then he grew like a weed and nearly surpassed Jiraiya in height,"**_ cut in Gamabunta hopping to cut the tirade short.

His plan worked as Naruto stopped with his mouth hanging open and started to smile at the prospects of the future. He didn't want to be a carbon copy of his father but if his old man didn't grow taller until later that gave him something to look forward to.

"_**Onto business though young one. I didn't call you here just to chitchat. I wanted to welcome you into adulthood in the only way I know how. It is also the only way I would ever accept fighting along side of you,"**_ added the toad in his strange drawl. To Naruto he sounded like some gangster.

'_Maybe he likes the Yakuza of our world and likes to imitate them,'_ thought Naruto as he reflected on the creature he was now sitting on.

"What do I have to do Gamabunta-sama," questioned Naruto as he looked into his good eye.

The second the words left his mouth he could hear Hikari laughing from within his mind and Gamabunta letting out a deep booming laugh. Something inside of him told him that he was going to regret ever asking that question. The feeling only got worst when another cloud of smoke appeared and a large bottle marked with large red "**XXXXXXX**" appeared on the ground in front of the giant Toad.

"_**Simple my boy, we drink the night away with the finest drink ever produced in the world, Toad Oil Sake,"**_ answered the boss as his long tongue wrapped around a much smaller jug and raised it up for Naruto to take. At the same time he grabbed the other jug, the one the size of a house, and brought it to his lips.

"_**I heartily welcome you to the Gama family and swear that we will always fight by your side and protect you as we have done for the last thirteen years. All we ask in return is that you become a great man and treat us with the same respect we treat you,"**_ declared Gamabunta as he tilted his head back and took a long pull from the jug.

Naruto looked at the jug in his hands as he fought to ignore the laughter coming from Hikari. He had tried multiple times to ask what was so funny and yet it only caused her to laugh even harder. Never before had he touched sake, or any other kind of alcoholic beverage. It was something Ibiki had drilled into him as being only fro adults.

"_**Drink up boy. You have proven yourself to be just as much of an adult as anyone else! You have fought for your life for years now and you have officially become a Shinobi of Konoha. If you are considered old enough to kill by your village then you are damn well old enough to drink,"**_ said the toad after his first drink.

'_I guess he is right. Anko-nee-chan has said that before and no one really argued with her about it,'_ thought Naruto as he raised the lip of the jug to his own lips and took a small experimental sip.

'_It burns,'_ thought Naruto as he nearly choked on the beverage. The burning sensation caused him to cough a small part of the alcohol up and he let it dribble down his chin and onto his shirt.

"_**Now you see what was so funny. The drinks made by Gamabunta and his kin have been black listed in several lands within Makai. The alcohol content is so high that you could burn it for fuel. Not only that though but the oil used from some of the toads and frogs would cause it to burn for days on end, even on top of water,"**_ stated Hikari through a fit of laughter.

Even Gamabunta seemed to be amused by the reaction Naruto had towards the beverage and let out a booming laugh that shook the surrounding forest. The animals that still happened to be around fled the scene as the sound shook the trees and caused a shower of leaves to fall to the forest floor.

"_**Haha don't waste this stuff boy. It might burn but you will get used to it. In order for me to work along side of you, you must share at least one round with me,"**_ boomed Gamabunta once again as he looked at Naruto atop his snout.

The blond-haired boy looked down at his jug once again and shivered as he felt a burning sensation within him. He could hear Hikari telling him that it was the alcohol slowing working its way into his system. At the same time though he could feel himself slowly relaxing… Hearing Gamabunta's words echo through his head, he nodded and brought the jug back up to his lips once again as he tilted his head back.

This time he swallowed a mouthful of the drink and fought the urge to gag as it burned his throat once again. He could feel it working its way through his system until it finally came to rest. He brought the jug back down and coughed slightly as he fought the urge to purge his system of the alcohol.

"_**Very good, by all rights you are no longer a boy among toads but an equal. As before we will be there for you and should we require your help we expect you to be there for us,"**_ declared the massive toad once more. _**"Now let us drink to you becoming a man,"**_ bellowed the toad as he took another long pull from his jug.

Naruto smiled and mimicked the action with his own jug before falling onto his back smiling and laughing. His laughter seemed to be infectious as Gamabunta and Hikari joined him in laughter. Not long after his second drink Naruto stood atop of the massive toad and started to dance while singing a song made up of random words.

Anyone watching would have probably done the same as the great toad, rolled over laughing before joining the boy.

* * *

Not far from where Naruto and Gamabunta were spending their night stood Jiraiya atop of a tree watching the events. Standing with him was the Sandaime and Tsunade. All three thought it was strange that Naruto would leave his party early without saying a word and decided to follow him. Upon seeing what the boy was doing though they fought to keep their jaws from hitting the forest floor.

"No good toad never let me have a drink with him," muttered Jiraiya as he continued watching his "apprentice" make a fool of himself. Tsunade and the Sandaime laughed lightly at the pout that crossed their friend's face.

"I'm surprised though that Gamabunta would share some of his best stuff with someone like Naruto. That stuff they are drinking is strong enough to knock me loopy if I drank that entire jug," stated Tsunade finally as she watched Naruto turn his jug upside down and look into the mouth.

From where they were they could see Naruto mouth something before he feel face first onto Gamabunta. That seemed to be the sign for all three of them to move forward and towards their charge as Gamabunta wrapped him in his tongue and moved him to the scarred forest floor.

"_**I was wondering when you three would show yourselves. You didn't think I wouldn't sense you just because I was having a good time did you,"**_ questioned the boss as he eyed the three newcomers.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't Gamabunta-sama. You only prove that us old-timers are still more then capable of fighting," declared the Hokage as be bowed to the massive creature.

"_**There isn't any need to flatter me Hokage-sama. Besides I'm not nearly as old as you an Enma. I suppose though you want some answers as to what has been going on,"**_ replied the toad as he looked at the three.

"You best your butt I want some answers! Why was I never told about this little setup you had? As the holder of the contract I should be told about these kinds of things," shouted Jiraiya as he stormed forward and looked Gamabunta in the eye. In return, he was knocked off his feet as Gamabunta sent a concentrated blast of air at his summoner.

"_**Don't act as if you can order me around you pervert! I can do what I please without answering to you. If I wanted I could revoke your right to summon us and I might just do it if you continue acting this way,"**_ bellowed the toad as he blew a cloud of smoke over the four Shinobi.

"_**I won't be doing that though because someone has to teach him how to summon properly and the difference between my kin. As for answers all I can tell you is that Arashi wished it to be this way. If he had any knowledge about the hate that would be directed at the boy he would have done more,"**_ added Gamabunta as he glanced over at Naruto's slumbering form.

"Wait, you mean Arashi arranged this summoning tattoo? I didn't think the toads had any tattoo like that. The only ones I knew who had that ability were the snakes," asked Tsunade as she cut Jiraiya's question off.

If it was possible everyone conscious at the time would have sworn that Gamabunta just smiled at the questions asked by Tsunade. That had to be impossible though since the great Gamabunta never smiled for anyone. Not even Jiraiya who knew him the longest had ever had a chance to see the massive summon smile before. Since meeting Naruto though he seemed to be coming across things he had never seen before, so why would this be different.

"_**That is true; we don't have a typical summoning tattoo like those damned snakes. What we have is a family crest that can be placed upon you humans to grant you our protection. It acts very similar to a summoning tattoo and alerts us to when the holder is in danger. If we are able to we will summon ourselves to the person's location by using some of their chakra. The young one there has always had a large amount of chakra within him, so it has always been easy to do. The only time that we haven't been able to aide him was when he was in a land where our kind is not welcomed,"**_ answered Gamabunta as he looked at the faces of the three great Shinobi.

The three stood there in silence as they processed the information. A number of questions had been answered but another set would more then likely pop up once they had a chance to process everything. Until then they were just glad that they knew someone was capable of watching over Naruto when they couldn't.

"Wait, why didn't any of your kin come to save Naruto the day he was attacked a few months ago," questioned Tsunade suddenly as she thought back to that day and the reason why this section of the forest was destroyed. Jiraiya and the Sandaime looked up from where they stood as they questioned the toad with their eyes.

"_**I felt that the boy would and should have been able to take care of himself at the time… If I had known things were going to go the way they did I would have allowed some of my kin to come to his aide. Aside from my belief in Naruto I knew that Gamakichi would be able to get help if he needed it. Believe me thought when I say I regret how things turned out that day,"**_ solemnly declared Gamabunta as he seemed to hang his head.

"Er, enough with this depressing crap, how about you tell us how much Naruto knows about his family. The boy thinks he is slick when he sneaks away at night but I know he is up to something. Every time I try to follow him he just ups and vanishes and I know it isn't Hikari's gift," asked Jiraiya suddenly as he narrowed his eyes at the Toad boss.

Gamabunta just laughed at the look Jiraiya was sending him. As much as he joked with the white-haired sage he knew the guy was bright enough to pick up on something like that. After all he had taught the father of the boy in question and would recognize more then a few things Naruto was practicing.

"_**He knows enough about them. I can also say that he knows several things that you three do not. It is only something my kin knew until recently when I revealed a scroll from Arashi to Naruto,"**_ answered the great toad as he started to smile once again as Jiraiya seemed to shiver.

It was something that he and the others who knew the secret talked about behind closed doors. They wondered how Naruto would react when his past was revealed. Some were worried he would hate his father because of the burden that had been placed on him. Others wondered if it might drive Naruto to hate the village and give up his dream. One thing they all wondered about was who had given birth to the bundle of energy.

The three present had looked into every file they could possibly find to ferret out that elusive answer. Tsunade had run every test on samples of Naruto's blood and cross referenced it with every sample taken in the history of Konoha. Despite all of the effort put into the process they could never find the answer they were searching for. Now here before them stood someone who might actually know the answer to the question that had been haunting them for the last year, for Jiraiya and Tsunade at least. The elusive answer had been hanging over the Sandaime's head ever since Naruto had been made the container of Hikari.

"Does that mean you know who the mother is Gamabunta," questioned Jiraiya eagerly as he strived to find out more of his former student's hidden past. If this old toad knew the secret then he would do whatever it took to find the answer he has been waiting for.

"I would first like to know how he took the news. It doesn't seem to have had any adverse effects on him. I'd like to know how long Naruto-kun has known as well if you don't mind answering that Gamabunta-sama," cut in the Sandaime before Gamabunta could answer Jiraiya's question.

The Toad sage seemed put off at first but after a moment's consideration he could understand why that would need to be answered. In a way it was important information but at the same time it just didn't seem as important. It was obvious the boy didn't seem to hate the village or anything, to him at least.

"_**Naruto has known since he came back from that mission in which he ran into Tsunade-hime. My son, Gamakichi came to him with a scroll given to me by the Yondaime. Naruto seemed to take it fairly well but that didn't stop him from going on a spree of practical jokers. Not only did he go after most of Konoha but he also asked the younger toads to assist him. It was a rather lively night then and I keep getting asked when they could go out and do it again,"**_ answered Gamabunta as he took another long pull on his pipe.

Of course everyone remembered that night and the entire week after it. It was one of the first times Naruto had let loose his entire practical joke arsenal. No one knew how he could pull off such feats but now they had a good idea on how he did it, and this was before he learned how to make shadow clones.

"_**As for your question you excitable pervert… Yes I know who his mother is and I have my children searching the world for her. At this point all I will tell say is that she travels with a former student of Arashi's, and was last seen leaving Konoha in a coma with the girl," added the toad after he puffed on his pipe for several minutes.**_

"_**I must be going now. I expect you to take care of the boy or I will personally come and stomp you into the ground Jiraiya. You should not concern yourself with the boy's mother; just leave that to me. The boy will have one hell of a headache in the morning as well. Make sure the boy keeps the jug though, it may come in hand later on,"**_ finished Gamabunta as he vanished in a massive cloud of billowing smoke.

The three adults were nearly thrown off their feet by the sudden departure of the massive toad. Had they not been use to such sudden departures they might have been blown away. The only thing keeping them on their feet was the application of Chakra to the soles of their feet.

"Well that explains a few things about our little trouble maker," muttered Jiraiya as he picked up the sleeping bundle and started to make his way back to the house.

"You actually seem hurt that he holds the boy in higher regard then he does you," stated Tsunade as she followed him back towards their makeshift home.

"Shut up I'm not that petty," snapped Jiraiya as he stumbled over a root.

Tsunade just laughed at her teammate's behavior as she trailed him. In a way it was almost like old times, back when they were still under the command of the Sandaime as his Genin. The only thing missing was their wayward friend turned enemy. She shook her head to fight off those memories and the others accompanied with them. She didn't want to remember all of the bad times that were connected with the name Orochimaru.

Neither of the two realized that the Sandaime was still standing back where they had talked with Gamabunta. Sarutobi was still standing at the site thinking over what he had heard from Gamabunta and trying to discern what it may mean for the future.

'_So that is where Rin-chan went to. Everyone thought she was caught in the attack from Hikari. With the state numerous bodies were found I honestly thought she had passed away then as well. I wonder how she is doing.'

* * *

_

_**Else Where**_

As those thought were running through the mind of the Sandaime an auburn-haired young woman sat over a woman she had been looking after for thirteen years. As each year passed her hopes of her charge waking seemed like a distant dream. The woman suffered from no injuries, and by all things logical should have come to long ago. She wouldn't give up hope and abandon the woman, but she was beginning to wonder if the former ANBU would ever wake up.

Ever since they had left Konoha all those years ago they had been on the move. She would never allow them to stay in a single village for more then a month before moving on. Each time she stopped she would be sure to buy all the supplies she would need for a month and then hold up in an inn, or outside of the village for the entire month. She had to forgo any human contact on many occasions just to ensure the woman she was looking after stayed safe and healthy.

They had been all over the continent and on several occasions the auburn-haired woman would have to fight off bandits, and Shinobi who recognized them. Each time she had to make the choice to ensure that none of those who knew them or saw them were left alive to tell the tale to others.

The entire ordeal was taking a toll on her mind and conscious. She often wondered how her friends and family were doing and if they were still alive. Among her thoughts were her former teammate Hatake Kakashi and the child of the woman she was looking after.

If she could she would have eagerly gone back to Konoha so that her life on the run could come to an end, and a child could finally see his mother. The only thing stopping her from doing that though were the words of a man she respected more then anything or anyone else. They were the words of her sensei and the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, Kazama Arashi.

'_Rin no matter what I want you to stay away from Konoha. The only time you should ever return is if Gamabunta or my son asks for you to return. With Motoko the way she is right now I don't trust Danzo or that snake in the grass Orochimaru,'_ said the man as he sent them out of Konoha and left to battle the Kyubi with Naruto in his arms.

His words were true though since those two men had always been nipping at her heels. A number of her pursuers had been from the rogue ROOT commander and the Nuke-Nin Orochimaru.

The first person was after her because she was a loose end that needed to be severed. With her gone it would more then likely let the man come one step closer to what ever goals he had in mind for the estate of the former Yondaime. After all, the Yondaime's library in his home was legendary. A man like Danzo would do anything to get his hands on the secrets that may sit within it.

The second person had always been after the woman because of her lineage. She was one of the few survivors of an ancient clan from the Land of Grass. The clan was responsible for keeping two sacred swords safe. The first sword Orochimaru already possessed and used in whatever way he saw fit. It was the _Kusanagi_ and was feared throughout most lands as a weapon forge from the fang of the deadly eight headed hydra. A single scratch would be enough to pump enough poison into a grown man to kill him.

The reason why Orochimaru sought Motoko was for the sword she was rumored to have owned. The _Ame Murakumo-No-Tsurugi _(Sword of Billowing Clouds) which many thought of as just a renamed _Kusanagi_ blade, but others thought of it as the sister sword to the _Kusanagi_ and the only thing that could rival its power. The only ones who seemed to know if the sword held any kind of power though was Orochimaru himself and the person being looked after by Rin.

Rin sighed as she thought about the obstacles in her path. Aside from enemy Shinobi, she was also running low on money, which was going to cause her more problems down the line. She was lucky she was able to make it to the country of Wave with the blockade up. Even then though she felt bad about not being able to help the small country out; it just seemed like she was ignoring everything she had ever been taught. If her mission was different she wouldn't hesitate to try and help the village who was living in fear of a corrupt businessman named Gato.

"Please Motoko-sama you need to wake up soon. I don't know how much longer I will be able to live like this," pleaded Rin as she feel to her knees and rested her head on the bed of her charge.

It was something that was occurring more and more for the young woman. Because of her isolation she craved human contact and indulged in it when she could on those shopping trips. Even then, she could never leave the side of the comatose Motoko for very long. Her emotions would build up to a boiling point and she would collapse and cry on her charge each time. Her words were always the same as she begged the woman to wake up. This time seemed different though. Rin didn't know why it was different but something just told her it would be.

If she had been paying attention to the woman in bed she might have seen her fingers twitching and slowly rising from the bed. The only thing that told Rin something was different was when she felt a hand come to rest on the back of her head, which caused her to jerk up and look at the person it belonged to.

"I'm sorry Rin-chan," muttered the purple-haired woman with a raspy voice while trying her best to smile.

_**

* * *

**_

Konoha 

Fall was often a busy time for Konoha. One of the main reasons for this was because of its namesake. It was the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and because of that they could easily become the Village Buried in the Leaves if nothing was done about it. Not only did the errant leaves cause problems for the people, but when in a draught they could easily serve as a village hazard.

Because of this the Genin forces were often asked to clear the leaves out to a safe location. The location often turned out to be one of the many landfills that burned leaves, branches, and cut down trees to help power the village. To many countries it might seem like a pathetic excuse for energy, but when you are surrounded by trees you learn how to capitalize on the landscape to benefit the village.

Not only did the Genin play groundskeepers but they also learned a few things about how to harvest various crops grown in and around their village. Fall ended up bringing various jobs for the Shinobi of Konoha to partake in. Unfortunately for the newest group of Genin not all of these jobs were what you pictured when you signed up to become a Shinobi.

"Come on Akamaru lets gets this stupid cat," yelled out a rough sounding voice as a small series of barks could be heard shortly afterwards. The members of Team 8 had the unfortunate luck of being given one of the missions all Genin learned to hate and that was catching a certain cat by the name of Tora.

They never knew that they were purposely getting the mission each and every time it filed. If they had known that then at least one of them would have voiced his displeasure with having to constantly chase down the annoying feline.

Yuhi Kurenai watched from the treetops as Inuzuka Kiba charged through the brush with his small puppy Akamaru leading the way. To her this was perfect training for the scouting missions that they were likely to get once they had more experience. If there was one thing Tora was good at it was escaping any attempt to capture it and quickly evading those after it. Without even knowing it though the creature was driving the young Inuzuka to improve his tracking and trap skills faster then the other missions would have.

Kiba wasn't the only one improving and honing his skilled. Aburame Shino was becoming more adept at tracking by use of his Kikaichu. It was one of the most basic abilities of an Aburame but it was also one that needed to be trained just as much as any other ability. It involved placing one of the female Kikaichu onto a target and allowing the other members of his hive track down the target by the pheromones released by the female.

Sounds simple but it required the host to keep the bugs on track. At times they could easily be distracted by other objects of interest, such as flowers, predators, prey, or wild Kikaichu females. The host would have to take in all of this information and decide which was more important. The one playing host to the bugs could easily be overloaded with information if they allowed too many of the bugs out to hunt for the scent.

The final member of Team 8 seemed to have it relatively easy compared to the other members. Her eyes were used to tracking a fleeing object from all the times she used to play with Naruto as they were growing up. More importantly she had become skilled at picking out spots where her targets may hide. The games of hide-and-seek, and playing Ninja were far too easy for her and lead to Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru forbidding her from using the Byakugan while playing the games at times.

"I've found the target and have incapacitated it," stated Shino over radio headset being used by the team.

"Damn it Shino! Couldn't you have let me and Akamaru find it first," yelled Kiba over the radio link.

Both Akamaru and Kiba were anxious to settle the score with the stray cat. It had eluded them several times and each time left its mark on Kiba and Akamaru. It may have also had to deal with their inherit hatred of all things feline. Either way the mission may have been a failure if the two had found their target before anyone else.

"Kiba there was no chance you would have caught Tora-chan. You were going in the opposite direction of Tora-chan," commented Hinata over the link as she watched the boy freeze in his tracks and stomp around while abusing the nearby trees to release his anger.

"That just means you need to train a little more Kiba. Its time to report back into Hokage-sama and officially complete the mission; Meet back up at the rendezvous point immediately. You each did well but never forget there is always something more to learn," cut in Kurenai as soon as she could tell Kiba was angry.

It was likely that he wasn't just angry but embarrassed that the girl he had been chasing after for so long saw how much he had messed up. Nothing would calm him down until he felt he had impressed the girl.

The team had just finished what would be their 35th D-Ranked Mission and put them at the top of the list in terms of missions completed. That didn't mean that they skimped out on training though. Since Kurenai was a fairly new Jonin she was pushing her team to the limits to try and impress the Hokage and village leaders. More importantly she wanted to prove that female Jonins were just as useful and capable as their male counterparts.

One of the main reasons for this push was that out of the few Kunoichi in Konoha who had the skill, she seemed to be the only one who had decided upon taking on a team, ever. Not even Tsunade had taught a Genin team when she was a Jonin in Konoha. Yes, there was a female ANBU Captain, and Inuzuka Tsume ran the Hunter-Nin division of ANBU, but that didn't seem to be enough for the ambitious Kunoichi. She wanted to be responsible for training one of the greatest teams since the Ino-Shika-Cho formation and the Sannin.

While the woman mulled over these thoughts she and her team had reached the Hokage's tower.

"Alright we will see if Hokage-sama has any other missions that need to be completed. If he has none then you have an hour break before we meet for training at our usual spot," stated Kurenai as she led them into the Mission Assignment room.

There in front of her sat the Sandaime Hokage, Umino Iruka, and Tsunade. Each of them was part of the group that assigned missions to the various teams that came in. Majority of the time the missions assigned in this room were standard missions. If you were ever asked to come to the Hokage's office to pick up the details for a mission then you knew you had a serious mission on your hands.

Of course the Sandaime was there as it was part of his duty as the leader of the village. It was one of the few things he enjoyed about his job and he would never pass up the chance to see the young Shinobi come in for the missions. It was rumored by some though that he secretly enjoyed tormenting fresh Genin with D-Ranked missions. That rumor though had never been proven true but no one has bothered to prove it false either.

Iruka had always taken it upon himself to work in the assignment office during the summer break from the Academy. The only time you would never find him there is if they needed a Chunin out on a mission, or needed someone with his particular skills. Any other time he was there greeting his former students and catching up with them. It also helped to have a familiar face there to greet them and send them off on their missions, regardless of how mundane they might have been.

The reason why Tsunade was there was not known to very many. She was there as a learning experience, even though she denied needing it. Since she was going to be announced officially as the Godaime Hokage, when the next Chunin exams occurred, she had to accept the Sandaime taking her under his wing once more. This time he was teaching her the ins and outs of being a diplomat and politician. Neither of these things came naturally to her.

"Welcome back Kurenai, I see you have managed to capture Tora in record time this time around," greeted Iruka as Hinata walked over to the owner of the now petrified feline.

All present felt sorry for the cat on some level as Madame Shijimi pulled the cat to her bosom. It occurred each and every time the cat was brought back, and everyone in the room could tell what was bound to occur once the woman was outside of the tower. The only one though who didn't feel sorry for the cat was the two resident canines, Akamaru and Kiba. If one were to look closely at them they could picture them wishing aloud for the cat to dig.

"Thank you so much for returning my poor Tora-chan to me," said the woman as she left the room.

"Now what else may I do for you," asked the Hokage as he silently prayed that today's events would be different from previous days.

"How about a better mission," muttered Kiba. In return for his remark though, he was given a hard slap to the back of his head by Kurenai who glared at him.

"Show some respect Kiba," growled the woman as she turned to apologize for his behavior.

"No need to worry Kurenai. I get far worst when Naruto comes in for missions," said the Hokage as he waved off any apologies. He then turned to Iruka who pulled open a large scroll with a "D" printed on it.

"Well the kennels at the veterinary office need cleaning, and the nursing home needs help with laundry. There is also mending a fence for the Nara clan and grocery shopping for the Akimichi clan," read off Iruka as he continued to roll out the scroll. Just as he was about to continue there was a shout from outside as everyone's nightmare once again freed itself.

"Then there is also catching Tora, once again," added the Hokage as he tilted his hat down to cover his face while mumbling.

The members of Team 8 exchanged glances as the missions were listed. For the Genin the one mission they dreaded more then anything was going after Tora once again. Aside from that grocery shopping for the Akimichi clan wasn't too appealing either. For Hinata cleaning the kennels at the veterinary office wasn't too appealing, but Kiba really didn't mind since he grew up around such things. Laundry at the nursing home only meant soiled sheets, clothes, and plenty of cleaning solutions bound to scare bugs and screw with people's sense of smell.

"Can't we get any REAL missions," yelled Kiba finally as he stomped down on the ground while looking at his former teacher. The remaining members of Team 8 sighed at his outburst and shook their heads in varying degrees.

Silence settled in though as the group stood there waiting for an outburst from Iruka, Tsunade, or the Hokage. Instead though the three seemed to exchange glances with one another as they seemed to debate on the request from the energetic Inuzuka.

"They do have the most missions completed out of all the other teams from their year," commented Tsunade as she flipped through a record book.

"Most of those missions though are tracking based missions and centered on Tora," added Iruka as he looked through his own scroll.

The Hokage dipped his head in thought as he mulled over the information that Iruka and Tsunade continued to rattle off about the team in front of him. They had completed enough D-Ranked missions to qualify for a C-Ranked mission. The problem was what the team specialized in and the lack of such missions. That of course didn't mean they had to just take tracking missions but it did mean that was what they were more qualified for.

"If my memory serves me right, there is currently only one C-Ranked mission available," said the Hokage finally as he turned his attention to Iruka.

The Chunin started to look through the scroll by him that was marked with a red "C". He unfurled it and started running his finger down the missions listed within it. He continued doing this for several seconds before he finally reached the end of the scroll and made a sound that confirmed the Hokage's words.

"There is an escort mission to Wave Country. The person who requested the mission is named Tazuna and he wanted protection from Bandits and the likes while he made his way home. Once there you are to watch over him while he finishes construction on his bridge," answered Iruka finally.

Kiba's face practically glowed as he heard the words leave the Chunin's mouth. He actually seemed to be salivating at the chance for such a mission. Shino seemed indifferent about the entire ordeal but if you knew how to read him you could tell he was slightly anxious as well. Hinata was nervous about what would be her first mission outside of the village, and the first time she had ever left the village without her family.

"I think my team would be well suited for the mission Hokage-sama. While it may not be a tracking mission, it would still test our fighting skills. It would also test the detection skill of each of my Genin," stated Kurenai finally as she looked at each of her students.

The Hokage nodded and smiled at the three Genin in front of him. He nodded to the side to one of the guards and motioned for him to open the door on the side of the room.

"Tazuna-san you may come in. We have a team that will be escorting you back home," said the Hokage as an old man walked into the room with a straw hat on his head and a bottle in his hand.

Kiba and Akamaru gagged slightly at the smell of alcohol coming off the man in waves. Their sensitive noses were easily overloaded by the alcohol and the body odor given off by what seemed to be their client. Shino eyed the man and took in his worn and dirty clothing as the man who had to be at least in his fifties staggered into the room. Something about the man just didn't seem right to the Aburame heir.

Hinata watched the man as he seemed to tense slightly at seeing her and the other members of Team 8. It was hard to see since it passed quickly but anyone who could read people would have noticed the tension before he relaxed. It was obvious to those who noticed that this man wasn't telling them something he felt was important.

Behind the desk both Tsunade and Sarutobi saw the slight tensing and started to have second thoughts about the mission. Without more information though they couldn't realistically change the classification of the mission and by then it might be too late. They would have to hope that the team would be able to handle what ever came up.

"These are the ones who are going to watch me? A dog with his pet, a girl that looks like she's blind, and a boy who wears a long coat and sunglasses in doors are supposed to protect me? Not to mention they are being lead by a woman who looks more like a model then a fighter. Are you sure they are going to be enough to protect me," slurred the man as he eyed each of the people in front of him.

"What the hell do you mean a dog and his pet," screamed Kiba as he charged the man. He was stopped short when Kurenai grabbed the hood of his jacket and frowned down at him.

"I assure you Tazuna-san that my team will be more then capable of dealing with any bandits we may come across," declared the red-eyed woman coldly.

"That is unless there is something you aren't telling us Tazuna-san," asked Tsunade with a raised eyebrow.

The man looked at her for the first time and his eyes nearly instantly went down to her impressive cleavage. From there his eyes traveled up to her young face that might have been considered dead gorgeous except for the glare that made his body seize up for a split second before he relaxed once again.

"N-no there isn't anything else. I just thought that you would have someone more experienced and talented for this mission," answered the man once he got over the look being sent at him by Tsunade.

"I promise that these three are more then qualified for this mission. Each of them has trained extensively with some of the strongest here in Konoha, and I can personally vouch for Hyuga Hinata," stated Tsunade with a smug look on her face as she continued to direct a glare at the man from Wave Country.

Tazuna just nodded his head in acceptance as he turned to Kurenai and Team 8. Kurenai looked to be in the middle of giving directions to her team. The three Genin nodded their heads and left to go about their orders before leaving. Only then did Kurenai turn her towards her charge and glare at him as Tsunade had done.

"Please wait here for my return Tazuna-san, I must go pack for the trip and change into clothing suited for the mission. I shall return shortly and escort you to the main gate where we will await my team," was all the dark-haired woman said before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

_**

* * *

**_

Shino 

It doesn't take long for a member of the Aburame clan to pack for extended missions. Their attire is normally always the same, and they have very little use for most other items regularly used by most Shinobi and Kunoichi. The only items frequently used by a member of the bug using community was frequently insect carriers, shuriken, kunai, magnifying glasses, various treats that his or her hives may like. There was however a few items that they used, just like every other Shinobi or Kunoichi would. Those items of course would be a bedroll and a tent should they be on a solo mission, or forced to camp out in the wild.

The insect carriers were mainly brought along if the person ever happened to come across a rare specimen and wanted to bring it back to their hive for future breeding or for study. This was one of the many ways that they were able to develop special Kikaichu that were more resistant to water, fire, electricity, and the other elements that have been proven fatal to your standard insect.

It was because he had very little to pack that Shino found himself with nearly an hour left before he had to meet his team at the main gate. Experience told him that Kiba would likely be the last one to arrive and that would be just as the hour was up. Hinata would be early; as would Kurenai since she would be with their employer. With that in mind he set out to find one of his few friends within Konoha. There were very few places where his target would be during this time of day and he knew the most likely location to find them would be Ichiraku Ramen.

Within five minutes of making up his mind he was outside the little stand and could already hear the sound of Naruto digging into a bowl of ramen. He paused a moment to fix his glasses and then pushed his way threw the overhanging awning to take a seat beside a bundle of energy and a stack of bowls. He waved off the waitress as she came up to ask for his order but smiled as she still greeted him warmly.

Ichiraku Teuchi and Ayame had earned his respect long ago. He could only respect them more as they seemed to be some of the most tolerant people in existence. They welcomed him with open arms and never seemed the least bit disgusted when he had allowed some of his Kikaichu to sample the meals he ordered there. The only time they ever seemed to be annoyed was when patrons would act rudely to those that the Ichiraku family favored and accepted. It was a sight to see when Teuchi had chased out a Chunin with a meat cleaver and a threat to make him the next day's special.

It didn't take long for Naruto to notice the presence beside him and offer a nod in greeting before slurping down the food in his mouth and offering a proper greeting.

"Hey Shino, you guys not training today," questioned Naruto as a form of greeting.

"No, but you still will not be able to see Hinata any time today," answered Shino.

He smiled slightly behind his collar as the boy next to him frowned as his last remark. It seemed like it was too easy for the Aburame to read him at times and was slightly unnerving when he did things like that.

"Not funny Shino… You know I've hardly had a chance to talk to her since we became Genin," muttered Naruto as he turned away from his friend and frowned into his bowl of ramen.

"I'm aware of that and hear it every day from Hinata. You do not have to worry about her forgetting about you though. Her feelings are still strong for you and have not shown any sign of dwindling," responded the stoic boy.

"Fine, now why can't I see Hinata any time today," said the boy as he accepted the response.

"We were given a mission outside of the village that may take us the better part of a week, depending on the client," answered the boy and quickly followed that with a raised hand to stop the shout of indignation he knew was coming.

"Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama, and Iruka-sensei each felt we were ready for a C-Ranked mission. If you have any complaints then place it with them. I merely came as a courtesy to inform you that Hinata and I would be out of the village. It sounds like a routine escort mission to Wave Country, so it isn't too dangerous," added Shino once Naruto had calmed down.

Naruto sat there quietly as Shino's words floated through his mind. The last mission he had gone on with Anko was supposed to be easy given their cover but it ended up taking a turn for the worst.

"Shino," whispered Naruto as he hung his head down.

The Aburame looked at the now very serious and solemn boy. The last time he had ever seen Naruto like that was back when he had told him everything about his life. He knew that some things were being held back from him.

"Just be careful Shino and stay on your toes. Don't hesitate to use that kunai I gave you. I may not be able to make it all the way there but it will at least serve as a beacon," was all the boy said before he laid down his money and left the ramen stand.

He watched his friend slowly blend into the crowd of civilians and Shinobi walking down the streets until he finally lost sight of him. He had always found it as odd when the normally energetic boy became serious. He always seemed like a different person and could be rather scary.

'_Even when his voice was gone he did the same thing to me,'_ added Shino mentally as he left the stand and made his way towards the gate to meet with his team.

As he arrived Hinata was already standing by the gate fingering something that seemed to be hanging from around her neck. The second she noticed Shino though she quickly tucked the piece of metal under her jacket as she turned to greet him.

"H-hello Shino-kun," greeted the girl as she stuttered slightly at nearly being caught by surprise.

"Have you been waiting long," asked the Aburame as he nodded slightly to her greeting. It may have seemed rude to some people, but it was just how the Aburame were. They were normally straight to the point and wasted little time in getting to it.

The girl shook her head slightly as she nodded towards the approaching Kurenai and Tazuna. Both of the present members of Team 8 smiled slightly as they noticed Kurenai dragging Kiba behind her by his hood and Akamaru riding on his stomach with what could be considered a smile.

"Now that we are all present we can head out," declared Kurenai as soon as she noticed her other two Genin and continued on out the gate, still dragging Kiba. None of them noticed the figure sitting on a building that overlooked the entrance to Konoha.

"_**You could have gone down there and said something,"**_ commented Hikari as they watched the team head down the path to Wave Country.

'_It would have been awkward since we haven't really had much time to talk lately,'_ answered Naruto as he continued watching.

He had been sitting up on the building and watching looking at Hinata. He had originally come here to try and talk with her but froze when he finally arrived. It wasn't out of embarrassment though but the simple fact that his kunai had been turned into a necklace. The points looked to still be as sharp as the day he gave it to her but she held no fear in keeping in close to her.

Should it have been a surprise to him? Probably not.

"_**You seem almost as bad as Iruka and Anko when one of them wants to ask the other one out,"**_ snorted Hikari as she turned away from the view of the departing Team 8.

Naruto decided to ignore her little jab and continued watching as they finally reached the tree line and entered the sanctity of the forest. Even then though he would swear he heard the sound of Kiba's continued cursing as Kurenai continued dragging him down the road to Wave Country.

_**

* * *

**_

Wave Country 

"Damn those women. Since they showed up my plans for this country have gone down the drain. Not even that pathetic Zabuza and his helper can seem to track them down," snarled a short plump man with glasses and a tack suit.

The thugs with him backed away from their boss as they nursed their own injuries. Some with broken arms, legs, bandaged waists, and foreheads. Each of them had been the victim of some form of attack from the previously cursed women.

"Why can't any of you buffoons do something about them? Not only have they stopped me from stopping that fool Kaiza, but they are slowly giving these people back their hope," yelled the man known as Gato once again.

Two of his larger thugs winced slightly as the cradled their broken arms. They were two of the first victims of the mysterious women who came out of no where to attack them. At the time it had just been one auburn-haired woman but as time passed a more violent purple-haired woman joined in. Since then the only thing keeping them from being completely taken out was the group of Nuke-nin hired by Gato before all of this started.

"Come on boss you know we've tried but they just seem to vanish without a trace each time. At times I would swear they were never there if it wasn't for the bodies," shouted one of his men who had been the victim of one of the numerous hit and runs.

"Yeah, wasn't that the purpose of some of those Ninja you hired. They were supposed to be insurance against Shinobi," added another.

There once was a group of five Shinobi working for him. Three of those Shinobi were now dead; killed by the two strange women that had appeared three months ago. Those three had been brutally slain by the devils in sheep's clothing. Not even Gato's thugs had been handled like that, unless they were caught doing despicable acts. Those three Shinobi from Iwa though never seemed to have a chance once they were spotted.

The former Kiri-nin that had been hired were currently busy with tracking down Tazuna and ensuring that he never returned to finish his bridge. Unfortunately for them they had left AFTER they found out he was heading to Konoha for supplies and protection. Now all they could do is wait from him to return and hope to finish him off along with what ever Shinobi he had managed to hire.

"If Zabuza and the other one fails then I'll have no other choice but to ask for help from _them_. Those people aren't cheap either and if the rumors are true will be impossible to kill off," shouted the man as he continued to throw a tantrum.

"This is why I have always hated these stupid ninja villages. They cause me nothing but trouble and are always sticking their noses where they don't belong," added the man as he kicked a box before finally walking out of the warehouse where most of his flunkies stayed.

"The only thing I want all of you to do is find the supplies Tazuna went to buy and destroy them! I don't care who is with the supplies, just destroy them. Do not let them make it to this country, understood," yelled the man as the warehouse doors were slammed shut.

A chorus of "Yes Sir" followed the man as the door slammed shut. The goons then looked at each other in confusion as they continued to hear the rants of their boss. It wasn't anything new, but the man seemed to be dead serious this time. They had all also had the chance to meet the people he was reluctant to hire. One of the men was nearly eight foot tall and carried around a large bandaged object on his back. The other was normal height but seemed to have the respect of the larger man. Both were seen wearing a black cloak with red clouds and conical straw hats with a single bell.

The two men never said their names. The only thing that was known about them was that they worked for a group known as Akatsuki. That and the taller one had stated that only one of their members would be needed to quell any problem that they may face.

No one bothered to question that declaration as the words seemed to be more then enough to get the point across.

_**

* * *

**_

Konoha 

Team 7 was returning from the mission they had grown to hate in Team 8 absence, finding Tora. It seemed that since Team 8 was out of town, and Tora wasn't taking a break that Team 7 would have to take up the slack left by Team 8. Team 10, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, probably could have done it, but Naruto had a few theories on why they were never given the mission. One such theory focused on Tsunade getting even with him for the number of pranks he had pulled on her since she had known him.

Of course no one would expect a Hokage-to-be to actually resort to such petty games.

It didn't help the mood of Team 7 though when their Sensei would just laugh each time they were given the mission to track down the troublesome feline.

"I swear it has only been a few days since Hinata-chan and them left and we've already had to catch that stupid cat six different times," yelled Naruto as he glared at the feline being held in a cage by Sakura.

"We probably wouldn't have to catch this cat if you would quit calling Tsunade-sama old," countered the bubblegum-haired girl as she noticed him glaring.

"She has a point, loser," added Sasuke while smirking at the blond-haired boy.

Instead of the expected retort though Naruto just seemed to huff and turn away from his teammates as he looked up towards the Hokage Monument. If they could hear his thoughts though they would have found it amusing at how he had decided to handle the jabs from the Uchiha.

'_95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88... Just keep counting Naruto and think about what you will do when Hinata-chan and them return. Think about all the training you are going to do after Kakashi-sensei decides to ditch us and go… ARGH! Nee-chan can't I beat the snot out of the bastard,'_ yelled Naruto as he gave up on counting.

"_**As much as I would enjoy that, you can't just go around killing those people who anger you. If you did then you would regret it when it came time for the Chunin exams,"**_ chastised Hikari slightly as she fought to keep from laughing.

Both had developed a healthy hatred of the boy during their exposure to him. Part of it stemmed from the boy constantly talking down to Naruto. When they had first met each other they could have almost been called friends. That tenuous friendship was shattered though the day Itachi fled the village and left only Sasuke alive within the Uchiha compound. Since then the Uchiha was cold and distant, even towards the one person that he might have been able to call friend.

It wasn't like he didn't act the same towards others, but it always seemed to be a slap in the face to Naruto.

"Alright Team, its time to report in to Hokage-sama. If they have no other missions for us you are free to do what you wish for the rest of the day," said Kakashi, cutting into Naruto's thoughts.

With those words the team walked into the mission room to see a smiling Tsunade, and a chuckling Hokage. Iruka seemed to be split between laughing and scowling at his elders. Each of them straightened up slightly when the members of Team 7 entered the room.

"Team 7 reporting in with the escaped cat Tora. Mission was accomplished without any problems," declared Kakashi as he saluted his superiors and nodded towards Iruka.

"Well done Team 7. I'm surprised you managed to complete the mission in such a timely manor this time around. Perhaps we should continue allowing your team to spearhead the hunt for Tora," greeted Tsunade as she fought to keep from smiling. The current reason for her amusement was the twitching of Naruto's eyebrow.

"Don't joke around with me," yelled Naruto as he glared at the other blonde. "You have to have a better mission then that, or at least a C-Ranked mission," snapped Naruto as he started to walk towards the three Shinobi.

"_**You could have shown a little more respect. You might have had a chance at a higher mission then,"**_ chided Hikari as Naruto stopped in front of the desk that separated him from Tsunade, Sarutobi, and Iruka.

"Naruto show them some respect," called out Sakura.

"_**Why should he? Do you REALLY want to chase after that infernal feline again,"**_ countered her inner persona.

'_I don't but I really don't want to anger Tsunade-sama either,'_ answered Sakura as she waited to see how hard Tsunade would punch Naruto.

To everyone's surprise though she just broke out in laughter. Not only did Tsunade break out in laughter but the Sandaime did as well. Iruka was sitting there with his head down while shaking it. The members of Team 7 just looked on as the Hokage tried to refrain from laughing, and Tsunade seemed ready to fall from her chair in laughter.

"What the hell is so funny you old hag," called out Naruto when he had enough of their laughter.

The temperature in the room dropped as Tsunade suddenly stopped laughing and narrowed her eyes at Naruto. Iruka and the Sandaime had abandoned their chairs and were now safely hiding behind Tsunade to avoid any stray projectiles. Sakura was busy trying to pull Sasuke into a similar safe zone and Kakashi just vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"What did you just call me," asked Tsunade in a dark voice as she started to rise from her seat.

Naruto was already backing away and attempting to make it out the door leading to the mission room. With enough luck he would be able to make it out the door and through a window before Tsunade came charging through the wall like a rampaging rhino.

Just as Naruto was about to make a break for the door though they were thrown open to reveal a pair of Chunin, Izumo and Kotetsu, escorting a man dressed in what many would consider typical fishing attire.

The man wore baggy blue pants and had on a sleeveless blue shirt, similar to that of a martial arts Gi. He kept it tucked in under his white rope belt but left it open enough to see his muscled and tan chest. The rest of the man's body seemed to be just as fit and he seemed to be the only one immune to the mood of the room they walked in on. The only other thing that stood out about the man was his spiky black hair that seemed to be held back by the piece of rope wrapped around his head.

"Many thanks for the help in buying the supplies Hokage-sama. With this shipment we should be able to finish our bridge in no time," stated the man as he walked past Naruto and towards the petrified Hokage.

Sarutobi and Iruka seemed to sigh in relief and released a breath they had been holding. Both smiled at the man who may have just saved the life of the young blond boy in front of them and quickly took their seats once again. Even Tsunade seemed to have calmed slightly as the man walked in. It seemed as if his words had snapped her out of what ever rage she was feeling seconds before.

"It was our pleasure Kaiza-san. We do have a surplus of building materials at times, and if we can do nothing with them we normally sell them or store them," said the Hokage as he waved off the praise from the man.

"Nonsense! If I had asked for this any where else I would have had to wait for more then three days! Konoha is truly a wonderful place if they can gather this much material and then easily have it moved to the coast for the trip back to Wave Country," added the man as he moved forward to shake the hand of the Hokage.

"To be honest with you I had expected to be further behind Tazuna, but with this development I can't be more then a few days behind. If I make it to the port in time I could probably make it back home by the time he returns," said the man as he kissed Tsunade's hand and shook Iruka's. The entire time he was smiling to show how happy he was to be one step closer to his goal.

Naruto sat there listening and couldn't help but pay close attention to how nervous the man also seemed to sound, despite how pleased he tried to make it sound. There was a hint of desperation and nervousness hidden under the kind words of a man who was probably earnest in his comments. Looking at the ones sitting around the table he could tell that at least the Hokage and Tsunade caught onto the slight deception taking place.

If the tone wasn't that wasn't enough to alert them then the increase in his heart rate and the fact he was fighting to keep from sweating surely added to the lie taking place. The only question left was why they would lie about something like this.

"Kaiza-san I can't help but notice how clammy your hands and face are. Are you feeling well," questioned Naruto as he walked towards the man.

Sakura perked up at this and looked at the man closely and started to notice the same signs, but her eyes were mainly scanning from a medical standpoint. Kakashi and Sasuke started to watch closely as well, with the former already knowing what Naruto was hinting at.

"I'm fine, just anxious to return home and finish Tazuna's "Super Great Bridge". I may be a son-in-law but he is still pretty hard on me," answered the man with a smile on his face.

This time Iruka frowned as he saw through the smile. It was something he had done in his earlier years to hide his feelings. Once he was exposed to Naruto he saw the same thing happening again with the young blond and again when he started to get closer to Anko.

"I want you to cut the shit and tell us what's wrong," demanded Iruka as he slammed his palms down on the desk.

His action caused more then a few heads to turn. It wasn't every day, unless you were Naruto, that you got to see the level headed Iruka lose his cool. It happened even less when an employer was involved. What many were slowly learning though was that when it involved his students, he lived up to his namesake and became very protective of them.

"I just sent some of my former students on a mission that is starting to sound like more then just a routine C-Ranked Mission. I want to know what the hell you and Tazuna are trying to hide from us and I want to know now," added the Chunin as he jumped over the table and grabbed the man by his shirt to shake him around.

"I suggest you speak up now Kaiza. With Tazuna I was willing to write his nerves off as having to deal with Shinobi for the first time. You though don't seem to be intimidated by us and our ways," said the Sandaime as he clamped onto Iruka's hands and forced him to drop the fisherman.

"I'm sorry. It's just that most of the money we had was for the supplies for our bridge. Tazuna didn't want to wait to see how much would be left over from buying the supplies, and wanted to return to Wave as soon as possible. Because of that he didn't have enough money for a B-Ranked mission but even if he had waited we might not have had enough money," started Kaiza as he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs.

From there Kaiza continued to tell them the story of what had happened to the country. He started from the beginning of course and told them about how he had come across Inari nearly drowning. From there he told them how he slowly started to see them as family and eventually did end up marrying Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami. Everything was going good for them, and he was slowly seen as a hero after saving their village and bringing in large hauls of fish.

It was nearly seven months ago when things took a turn for the worst. The Gatoh Shipping Corporation had set its eyes on the small country and the rather lucrative fishing and shipping market there. The easily swayed folded quickly under the demands of the owner, Gatoh, and soon it was only a matter of time before the company made it to the village that Kaiza and the rest lived in.

The company quickly started to try to flex its muscles and intimidate the people as they had done with numerous other villages. This time though they met some resistance from the people of the country. They had heard about their deeds before hand and were prepared for the heavy-handed persuasive methods of Gatoh. That still didn't prepare them for the blockade that Gatoh decided to set up to kill some of the major businesses of the Village and country.

Because of that blockade it made it nearly impossible for people to go out and fish or trade their goods with other countries and villages. When people tried to run the blockade Gatoh had his men sink the ships, and eventually that lead them to going into the harbors and coastal docks to destroy any ocean going vessel.

These acts had accomplished what the others wouldn't and started to break the will of the people. Soon only the brave would speak out against Gatoh and his methods. Those people though were slowly vanishing as the months ticked away. Kaiza himself had nearly met the same fate at the start of the summer.

"I was in the center of our village trying to call the people to arms against Gatoh. Hoping that they would rediscover their will to fight, but sadly though Gatoh had recently started a new practice of not just killing those who spoke out and acted against him. He started to include the person's entire family. Wives and daughters would be taken by his men for untold horrors and children were enslaved and shipped away to who knows where.

"I nearly met the same fate on that day. They first took me to one of their warehouses where they tried to "persuade" me it was in my best interest to work for Gatoh. They wanted to use me as a mouthpiece to get the people to accept Gatoh. When I continued to refuse they threatened Tsunami and Inari's lives. Even then though I refused because I knew I wouldn't be able to face Tsunami, Inari, or Tazuna if I sold out everything we fought for just for that.

"Then they decided to make an example out of me, since I was considered a hero by many in the village. They nailed my hands onto a cross and carried me to the center of town, where Gatoh set up a podium and stand. He called out to the people and told them that I was being sentenced to death. It caused an uproar and while they beat me I could see Tsunami crying in the crowd and Tazuna trying to pull Inari away," said Kaiza as he tried to fight back the tears of the memory.

As he told his story his feelings could be heard in his voice. When he spoke of Wave Country and the people there you could hear the love in his voice. When it came to Tsunami, Inari, and Tazuna you could nearly feel the love he felt for them. When he spoke of Gatoh though you could tell how disgusted he was just by the tone of his voice.

The others in the room continued to listen and for the most part forgot about the Genin team that was present. The only one who didn't seem to forget was the Hokage and his eyes were locked onto Naruto's visibly shaking form. Out of all of those present Naruto was likely the only one who knew what the country was once like before it was corrupted.

"Just as I was about to be slain a woman jumped over the crowd and knocked away Gatoh's men. Others rushed to stop the woman but she easily knocked them away as if they were nothing but children. From what I remember she cut me down and took off with me. I passed out from pain around that point and only woke up days later. When I did wake up I saw a woman with hair the color of leaves in the fall and strange orange markings on her cheeks," added Kaiza as he finally raised his head with tears in his eyes.

Tsunade, Sarutobi, Naruto and Kakashi froze when they heard the description of the woman. It may have and more then likely could have been any woman in the world. To them though the similarities to someone they knew and had been looking for was too uncanny.

"Once I woke up I noticed that there was another woman in the room but she looked to be confined to the bed at the time. The auburn-haired woman said she had healed me and that within a few days I would be able to head home. About that time the other one fought to get out of bed. The one with me rushed over and helped her to sit against the wall. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen though. I never thought that someone could have hair that deep a shade of purple, and with such an intense gaze. Regardless though she seemed to be the most gorgeous woman, who could make any man happy and probably cause him great pain," added the man once again with a smile on his face.

This time Naruto clenched his fist as the man seemed to confirm his hunch. Before he could say or do anything though Kaiza was already continuing his story and he couldn't help but stand there to learn more about the situation his mother was in.

"Shortly after that I returned home and I was told that the two were Kunoichi and that they would look out for us while they could. At first the woman with the tattoos watched over us and fought off Gatoh's men. By mid-summer though the other woman had joined her and soon we learned about Gatoh hiring some Shinobi to deal with the problem. The first attack was from a bunch of people who use earth techniques and for some strange reason the two women seemed to be extremely hard on them. With Gatoh's men they showed some sympathy but these Shinobi were slain without a second thought. It was honesty enough to make some of the people who saw hurl at the scene."

Naruto started to grind his teeth when he heard about Iwa Shinobi possibly attacking his mother. At the same time Kakashi and the others who at least had an idea of who the first woman was winced at the memories those Shinobi must had brought up for her. Out of the higher ranking adults in the room only Tsunade and Kakashi really knew what Iwa-nin were like on the battle field and how ruthless they could be at times.

"Not long after that we ran out of supplies and were forced to make a run for supplies on the mainland. The two told us that Konoha would be the best place to go, and probably the best place to hire some form of protection for the supplies and Tazuna on our way back. I had a feeling they were from here originally the way they sounded so fond of the place. I asked if they wanted to come with us but the said they needed to stay to protect Tsunami, Inari, and the rest of the village from Gatoh. The second woman was kind enough though to escort us to the coast before she returned to the village. I figured they were both needed to guard against the other two Shinobi hired by Gatoh," finished Kaiza while sighing deeply.

By now Naruto was shaking in anticipation of what this might mean. He was seconds away from demanding to be sent on a mission there and the only thing keeping him from doing it was Hikari's demands that he wait for the Hokage's response to everything.

Kakashi had his head down as he thought of his last true friend possibly being alive. After nearly thirteen years of thinking she had died in the Kyubi attack, he had just learned that someone matching her description was seen in another country.

Sakura looked to nearly be in tears at the news of what the small country had to go through. She could only imagine how it had to feel to narrowly escape death's grasp. Not to mention the strength it would take to continue fighting against the odds that they had stacked against them.

Sasuke was deep in thought about the entire ordeal. From the way it sounded, it could be at least a B-Ranked mission. Aside from that though a part of him felt sorry for the people of Wave Country, and In a way it reminded him of that night years ago when he was turned into an orphan. Instead though these people were continuing to fight, even though the odds didn't favor them and their lives were on the line.

Sandaime and Tsunade exchanged glances before they turned to Naruto. It seemed that when he clenched his fist his nails had dug into his hand and caused him to start to bleed. No one seemed to notice the intense gaze the boy held currently or how he seemed to be shaking at the prospect of this revelation.

"That is an amazing story Kaiza-san. I must say you and your people are brave to continue fighting despite the odds. I'm pleased that someone who may be one of our former Shinobi was able to save you and continued to uphold the beliefs of Konoha even after leaving it," said the Sandaime as he sat back in his chair and pulled out his trusty pipe to stuff.

While doing this he received a glare from Tsunade and Iruka, who both frowned upon him smoking in the mission room. Under the current circumstances though, they couldn't blame him for using some form of stress relief.

"I'm not at all pleased though about being lied to about the previous mission I had assigned to a Rookie Genin team. It sounds as if they might be biting off more then they could chew," added Tsunade as she leaned against the table she normally sat behind. Kaiza tensed slightly at this and this a look of horror crossed his face ad he suddenly remembered something very important.

"There were another two Shinobi that the two women could fight to a stand still. I think one of them was named… Zuba? No that wasn't it, could it have been Zabuka," commented the man as he tried to recall the name of the man with the massive sword.

The second the words left his mouth though the temperature seemed to drop suddenly as four people knew who the man was referring to. Before anything else could be said though the window sitting behind the Hokage, Tsunade, and Iruka was blown apart as a fierce wind kicked up and threw the papers around the room. Only one word could be heard on the wind, and it was said with enough hate and murderous intent to cause everyone to shiver.

"Zabuza."

The wind hadn't even died down completely before Iruka jumped out the window and the room was flooded with ANBU, Jonin and Chunin. Chaos reigned in the room as everyone who barged in tried to make sense of what they had heard. Many feared it may have been an attack on the Hokage or Tsunade. Very few noticed the sudden disappearance of Naruto amidst the chaos of the room. Even fewer realized just who was responsible for the chaos. Only one voiced the question that caused most to realize what happened.

"Where's Naruto," asked Sakura as she started to frantically look around for her energetic friend.

"Shit," muttered Tsunade.

_**

* * *

**_

Konoha 

Naruto was ignoring Hikari as he rushed home. Most people only felt a sudden burst of wind as he passed. The Shinobi he passed saw a golden blur pass them. Those that bothered to follow the blur easily lost it once it made it to the forest.

Naruto ignored Hikari's pleas to stop and think rationally as he blew throw the balcony window to his room. Before his feet even touched the ground two shadow clones appeared and moved to different parts of the room.

In a flurry of motion the real Naruto had done away with his regular clothing and donned his battle gear. The pair of Tonfas he had been given by Iruka were strapped in the small of his back in leather holsters. The rest of his battle attire was vaguely similar to that of the armor worn by ANBU. The only difference was that he lacked the shin guards and bracers that were normally worn and that was only because he had the greaves and bracers from Hikari.

A clone came running up to him with a pack filled with several scrolls and a pouch filled with his special little toys. Naruto wasted little time in quickly slinging the pack over his shoulders and wrapping the pack around his waist. He knew that this would give him plenty of extra weapons as well as various grenades that he thought might be useful in his current endeavor.

A second clone was running up with his shuriken and kunai holsters. After he strapped those on, he took another pack from the clone that held his special kunai. The final piece of equipment he grabbed from the clone was the jug of sake he had been given from Gamabunta and it found its way to his belt before he dispelled the clones and jumped out the window.

No sound could be heard from the boy except the slight sloshing of liquid from his sake bottle. All other pieces of his equipment were firmly strapped down to minimize the amount of noise he made. It was something he would only do when completely serious about a situation. For the most part when he moved around with his normal load out he was undetectable by most Chunin. Experienced ANBU and most Jonin were able to pick him up unless he put some effort into moving silently.

That was part of the reason why Iruka didn't see or hear him when they crossed paths. Naruto fleeing the village and making his way to Wave country to "save" Hinata, Shino, and the rest of Team 8. Iruka trying to make it to the home of his little brother before he did something stupid, but knowing he didn't have the speed to stop the boy.

_**

* * *

**_

Wave Country 

Shino tensed slightly as his scouts picked up a large source of chakra ahead of his team. The source though became lost in a bank of fog that started to close in on the small group. Had it been any other time of day the group might have written it off as a natural occurrence. Since it was in the middle of the day though, it was likely that it was not a natural occurrence.

"Be prepared for anything," ordered Kurenai as they stopped and surrounded Tazuna and drew their weapons.

It wasn't long before the fog had settled in over the group and obscured their vision. No one could see more then a foot in front of them and the only member who might be able to see further was Hinata.

The girl was already ahead of her team mates and had already activated her Byakugan. She only gasped though when she noticed how the air seemed to be filled with chakra. The fog itself seemed to be alive with chakra as it swirled around them. Because of the fog and how dense it was she could only see a few more feet then the members of her team.

The only shape she could make out were the shadowy forms of something shifting through the dense mist. She couldn't tell how many of them there were. It could have easily been one person moving very fast, or multiple people shifting around waiting for a chance to strike.

"There are eight targets," said a voice that seemed to come from all around the members of Team 8.

The deadly whisper wasn't the only thing that starting assaulting the sense of the team. The air was flooded with enough killing intent that Akamaru started to whimper and the insects within Shino started to buzz in agitation. Even Kiba seemed prone to whimper at the assault on his fight or flight instincts. To their credit though Shino and Hinata stood their ground, and only flinched slightly as their senses were pounded by the mysterious figure in the mist.

"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney and heart," continued the voice as Tazuna feel to his knees behind his would be protectors. The man didn't even bother trying to hide his tears as the pressure from the person got the best of him.

"W-what the hell is going on here," asked Kiba as he fought to keep his legs from collapsing.

"**Muon Satsujin Jutsu** (Silent Homicide Technique)," answered Shino as his bugs started to emerge from beneath his jacket and filter out into the air.

"Oh, so one of the little Genin knows of me," asked the voice in what sounded like a pleased tone of voice. "I suppose I should feel honored that someone from the Aburame clan knows of me without having ever met me before. Perhaps you will be given the honor of dieing first," added the voice in a more sinister tone.

"Make no mistake about this Momochi Zabuza, I shall not let you lay a hand on my students or my charge," countered Kurenai as she started to release her own chakra and Killing intent into the air.

Her efforts seemed to get Kiba to relax some and even Tazuna had stopped sobbing from his place on the ground. That though didn't too much to counter all of the effort Zabuza was putting into intimidating the team from Konoha.

"A lowly Kunoichi who specializes in Genjutsu dares to try and challenge me. You are nothing but a footnote in the Konoha section of the Bingo book Yuhi Kurenai," answered the voice.

This time Kurenai did jump slightly since it sounded like the voice had come from right beside her. Jerking her head towards the voice she couldn't see anything and only felt a whisper of the wind on her skin.

'_This isn't good. I'm no match for this man no matter what Genjutsu I may try. He surpasses me in just about every other field of being a Ninja,'_ thought Kurenai as her mind raced the with possible outcomes of this confrontation.

Out of everything she pictured only one outcome seemed to pop up. With the entire team dead or severely wounded and their charge beheaded on the side of the road. The only one that seemed to offer some assurance was the team fleeing with Tazuna and she would stay to fight and likely die against Zabuza. Out of all of the scenarios that was perhaps the only one she was willing to accept.

'_If I can stall him long enough they might be able to make it back to Fire Country. Once there one of the patrols might come across them before Zabuza,'_ with that last thought in mind she turned to her students and charge.

"Listen to me closely. You are to flee with Tazuna and not look back, not matter what you might hear, feel, or see. Just keep running," ordered Kurenai before she readied herself to battle the shade in the mist.

Kiba was about to challenge her request when Hinata called out a warning and Zabuza appeared in the middle of the group. In a flurry of motion Kurenai grabbed a kunai to block to massive sword from cutting her team in two. Hinata grabbed Tazuna and jumped away from the site of the impending battle and Shino was quick to follow her with a stunned Kiba and Akamaru in hand.

A blast of air accompanied the contact of kunai and Zanbato. Due to her shorter stature, and lack of strength though Kurenai was thrown away from Zabuza and was forced to roll with her momentum.

The second she was clear though a number of black bugs burst from the ground and started to swarm Zabuza. Within seconds the man covered in bandages was covered in Kikaichu bugs. Another second and he started to scream as they started to devour his flesh and chakra. Seconds after that something happened that they had no been expecting. Zabuza burst into water.

"**Mizu Bunshin**," screamed Kurenai as she righted herself and looked around for her attacker.

Hinata was already searching for the man and Shino was recalling his colony that he had left as a trap for Zabuza. Kiba was righting himself and sobering up now that the killing intent wasn't as heavy as before.

"Your students have excellent reaction time. It seems Konoha is indeed producing excellent Shinobi. It is a shame though that I will have to kill them before they could even reach the peak of their abilities," called out Zabuza once again from the mist.

This time though it wasn't echoing around as he had before. This time it sounded as if it was coming directly from behind Hinata and Tazuna.

The Hyuga girl spun around quickly and delivered a palm strike into the stomach of her attacker. The man's eyes flashed in recognition as he realized just what he was up against this time. The tell-tale eyes of a Hyuga could never be mistaken by a seasoned Shinobi. He smiled though as shock registered on the girl's face before he dissolved into a puddle of water and a warning cry was given by Kiba. With her Byakugan activated she could see Zabuza coming in to kill her and Tazuna. She was fast but there was no chance she was fast enough to stop the charging Nuke-nin.

At the same time though she could see what Zabuza could not. With the mist clearing somehow she could easily see Kurenai coming in from Zabuza's right with a weapon ready to impale the man.

"Not this time Zabuza," called out the woman as she moved to gut the man.

Her attack failed though as the man spun on his foot and sent a kick to the woman's side. The attack caused her to skid across the ground and across a nearby lake before she managed to finally right herself. As she struggled to stand though she realized something was wrong.

'_This water is too heavy,'_ thought the woman as she feel to her knees and became encompassed by the water.

"**Suirou no Jutsu** (Water Prison Technique)," commented Zabuza as he appeared beside her with the palm of his hand stuck in the sphere of water. At the same time he brought his free hand up and concentrated. The fruits of his labor appeared as another water clone appeared on the end of the lake and calmly walked to shore.

"Surrender the old man and I _might_ let you live. If you don't I'll kill your lovely Sensei and then track you all down and kill each and everyone of you In the most painful way I can think of," demanded Zabuza as his clone removed his sword from his back and started to slowly advance on the Genin.

"RUN! As long as he is here holding this technique his clone can't go very far," yelled Kurenai through her watery prison.

Even as she shouted to them to flee she could see their faces setting into a stony resolve. It was something she had started to see develop in her charges, mainly Shino and Hinata, from the time they spent with Naruto. They wouldn't even think about leaving her behind to face death.

Before anyone could say anything Kiba was already launching an attack on the clone. With him was Akamaru and both were already spinning like a pair of drills as they tore their way towards the clone. No one had heard or seen them perform the required techniques but the element of surprise allowed them to get close enough to the clone that most though they would win the fight with it.

As they were about to make contact though the clone used it's Zanbato like a baseball player would use his bat. The result was a sickening crack as both Akamaru and Kiba were sent flying into the surrounding trees and only stopping after they had flown through several large ones. Once they stopped though there was no sign of motion from the two as Akamaru's jutsu dispelled to reveal the broken white dog.

Hinata was about to charge forward before she felt Shino's hand on her shoulder. Looking at the bespectacled boy caused her to pause in her attack and glance towards her opponents.

Already gathering on the clone was another swarm of Kikaichu. This time the clone didn't stay on dry land and quickly plunged into the lake water In hopes of dislodging the annoying insects. After all the last time they had attacked a water clone and dispelled it they were sluggish, why would this time be any different?

Kurenai fought off a curse as she saw the clone dive into the water. She gasped though, as did Zabuza, when a number of insects came up from the depths of the water and started to _walk_ across it towards Zabuza. It appeared though that this time they were not your run of the mill Kikaichu bugs. Shino smiled as he watched the special breed of bug cross the water and towards the man who couldn't flee his current spot without releasing their Sensei.

His smile was short lived when he heard Hinata gasp from behind him, and saw Kurenai's eyes widened in fear. Turning around he saw _another_ Zabuza with his Zanbato resting on the shoulder of Tazuna. Fear could be seen in the man's eyes as the weight of the weapon cut into his shoulder.

"I suppose you thought you had me with that latest attack. A shame though that I created multiple clones and waited until you were too busy with one to make my move," growled Zabuza as he offered a feral grin from behind his bandaged mouth.

"I'm afraid you aren't the only one with a few tricks up their sleeves," whispered Hinata as she smiled behind her bangs. Before Zabuza could ask what she meant though Tazuna ducked below the sword on his shoulder and spun to send a strike into Zabuza's gut.

After the attacked landed and sent the Kiri-nin sliding across the ground, Tazuna burst into a cloud of flowers. Zabuza stood there holding his stomach in pain as the girl looked up at him with a fire in her eyes. She didn't waste any more time though as she charged the man and attacked with her glowing palms.

Because of the pain of the Juken strike and a burning sensation coursing through his abdomen Zabuza was hard pressed to dodge or counter attack the attacks from the fierce girl. Forgotten was Kurenai, who was freed from her prison by Shino, as the girl continued to push her advantage. Soon the Kiri-nin was covered in cuts and was barely able to stand, even though majority of his cuts seemed to be on his upper body.

"What the hell did you do to me you little bitch," wheezed Zabuza as he barely stayed on his feet due to his massive sword.

"**Kusabana Hanabira Bunshin no Jutsu** (Flower Petal Clone Technique), a technique I learned from a close friend. I also combined my Juken with **Shosen Jutsu** (Mystic Palm Technique/Chakra Scalpel) to cut the tendons and muscles within your body. You won't be able to move very well unless someone heals you," declared the Hyuga as she straightened up.

By this time Kurenai had made it to land and was walking towards Hinata and the downed Zabuza. Shino was walking forward while helping Kiba walk and Tazuna showed up beside him with Akamaru in his hands.

Zabuza stood there looking at his opponents and felt a small sense of familiarity. He laughed softly as he thought back to the blond brat who put him in a similar state. This time though Haku would be able to save him before any more serious damage was done to him. He looked up to stare at the young Genin before him and he froze when he noticed an object poking out from Hinata's unzipped jacket.

'_Only one person would have such an object,'_ thought Zabuza as he started to feel a new energy bubble up within him.

"Tell me girl who gave you that little necklace you have," asked Zabuza as he started to straighten himself. At the same time he was biting down on the concealed capsules in his mouth as more and more energy started to build up.

Hinata gasped as she realized what the man was talking about. Shino flinched as well when he noticed the object hanging around her neck. Slowly though eh started to piece more of the puzzle of Naruto's obsession with Suiton and silent attacks. He was starting to understand the things Naruto left out about what happened to him that time he was left school in the middle of the day a little more then a year ago.

'_His obsession is because of a fight with Zabuza. That is why he took up the Silent Homicide style of battle and started to use the Kirigakure no Jutsu,'_ concluded Shino as he started to reach into his jacket for his own special Kunai.

"I had thought the boy and his sister would have died that night all those years ago. I suppose though I shouldn't be surprised he is alive, not with what he is," continued Zabuza as he drew himself to his full height, shocking Hinata and Kurenai.

Even though she was shocked, Kurenai knew what Zabuza was referring to. Shino knew as well and was now fighting with his jacket to pull the tri-pronged kunai from the confines of his jacket. His haste though was only proving to be detrimental to his effort.

"Who would have thought he would have survived having this blade shoved through his chest. I had thought that I would never get to settle with the boy for giving me these scars and killing two of my followers. Now though I have what may be the perfect bait to draw him her," firmly stated Zabuza. Again his words shocked those present but nothing shocked them more then when the man blurred out of sight.

The only had a few seconds to react before Kurenai, Shino, Tazuna, and Kiba were sent flying. Kurenai was the victim of a ruthless backhand. Shino and Kiba were the victims of a savage roundhouses that sent them flying away from their team and sensei. Tazuna and Akamaru were turned into projectiles as Zabuza used his sword as a bat once again and sent them into the bushes.

Hinata stood there shocked as the man she had thought she had defeated came back to life. Nothing though prepared her for when his foot came flying at her face and sent her tumbling along the ground and drawing blood from her lips. Before she or anyone else could move again the man was already upon her and lifting her by her hair. Despite her pained cries he savagely kneed her in the face and once again sent her skidding with a brutal kick to her stomach.

No longer was he worried about his mission or the rest of the team. He was focused on the only connection to one of the best fights he had ever had. The one thing that could allow him to get revenge for the deaths of the Brothers that once followed him, but was killed by the toys of a young boy.

"I know where that weapon comes from, and to ensure I get a chance to finish what I attempted then I will need some bait. He cares enough for you to give you that so when he learns you were taken he will come for me," snarled Zabuza as he lifted Hinata back up and smiled at he bloodied face.

The attacks he delivered to Shino served to help the Aburame finally free the weapon he had been reaching for from his pocket. With little hesitation he cocked his arm back and hurled it forward as he channeled what he felt was enough chakra into the weapon.

The bug user smiled behind his collar when Zabuza turned around at the sound of the weapon flying through the air. The shocked look on his face was worth the damage to his body once the ex-Kiri-nin realized just what had been thrown.

"Haku, we're leaving now," yelled the man as he moved to grab the battered Hyuga. The only thing that stopped him was her bloodied and smiling face as she threw a silver canister that to the ground between. Seconds later though a blinding white light flashed as the man made a dive for the battered Hyuga.

* * *

**A/N:**

How's this for bringing Zabuza back into the game?

**Jutsu**/ Techniques

**Kusabana Hanabira Bunshin no Jutsu** (Flower Petal Clone Technique)

A technique that utilizes the petals of flowers to form a solid Bunshin, similar to that of the Mizu Bunshin, Iwa Bunshin, and Kage Bunshin. The clone is fairly durable and able to withstand one or two solid attacks. When dispelled the petals act as a distraction and could also be used to send out a cloud of poison depending upon the flowers used for the technique. Some Shinobi have been known to combine the technique with Genjutsu to help confuse their opponents.

**Suirou no Jutsu **(Water Prison Technique):

A Ninjutsu technique that utilizes water to imprison an opponent. The ninja forms the necessary hand seals which causes the water to form around the target into a spherical prison which only allows for limited movement. The ninja must keep their body touching the water prison to maintain its existence. If the contact is broken, the water falls away and their target is released. When combined with a Bunshin technique, the ninja can imprison their target but still allow for a clone to attack others nearby.


	15. Rising Tide

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

**A/N:** Would have had this up sooner, but the site decided to act crazy. So enjoy.

_**

* * *

**_

Fire Country Coast 

He hadn't bothered stopping the night before to rest. He had to get to Wave Country before anything happened to Team 8. He liked to tell himself he had faith in their abilities but he had fought Zabuza before and knew what the man was capable of.

"_**Naruto calm down! You need to rest if you want to be of any use to them when you get to Wave country," **_yelled Hikari as she tried to get Naruto to calm down.

'_Zabuza isn't stupid Nee-chan! He'll have gotten stronger after that last fight he has to have gotten stronger,'_ snapped Naruto as she made his way down the coastline and towards one of the numerous coastal villages.

He had first arrived at the major coastal village that served as a main supply port for Konoha. He had hoped to move set out from there, except he was denied. Instead of arguing with them he moved on to the next village, and came across similar replies. It didn't take him long to realize that perhaps the Hokage and Tsunade had sent messenger birds out seconds after he jumped out the window. His only hope now was to find a smaller fishing village and hope he could borrow one of their boats to make it across to the besieged country.

Due to his speed, Naruto was able to cover the same amount of land that it would take many days to cover. He might have been impressed if he had thought to stop and take a rest. His mind though was set on getting to Wave Country, and then to Hinata.

"_**I've tried being nice about this but you have left me with no other choice,"**_ stated Hikari. The tone of her voice showed how much she was going to regret her current course of action. She waited until Naruto had landed on the ground before she sent a surge of chakra through his body and to the weights she kept control of.

The end result of her action had been exactly what she had wanted to happen. Naruto was forced to the ground and his arms and legs became too heavy to move. Even as he tried to struggle to stand he slowly realized just how useless his efforts were.

"_**Its time for you to stop and rest. While you are doing that you will listen to me,"**_ ordered Hikari as she raised herself to her full height and tried to intimidate him as much as possible.

'_Damn it Nee-chan that Zabuza bastard could be after Team 8 and Hinata-chan,'_ howled Naruto as he continued to fight to stand.

"_**And Shino told you that they can take care of themselves. Don't you trust them enough to believe in their abilities,"**_ countered Hikari as she exerted more chakra to increase the weights.

'_It's Zabuza! He nearly killed me and Nee-chan,'_ challenged Naruto once again as he clenched his teeth.

"_**You must really expect for them to lose. I'm ashamed that you would continue to not have faith in their abilities. After all **_you**_ were the one who helped to train them. Because of you, Tsunade trained Hinata. Because of you their skills jumped off the charts. More then anything it was because each of you believe in each other that you grew to be one of the strongest graduating classes in History. I suppose when you told Hinata you would have faith in her, and told Shino the same that you were humoring them,"_** snapped Hikari as she turned her back to Naruto.

"_**Anko, Ibiki, Shizune, Tsunade, Sarutobi, Iruka, your mother, and your father would be insulted at how easily you lose your faith in your comrades,"**_ tossed Hikari over her shoulder.

Now Naruto was seething. The words hurt him deeper then the words of anyone else. They hurt more then any attack from a villager. They hurt because they came from someone who loved him and that he loved in return. The words came from family and struck deeper then any weapon could ever hope to do. More then anything it hurt because it was true.

He rushed out and let his hatred of Zabuza drive him to ignore everything else. His desire to get revenge on the sword wielding man blinded him to reason. If he had taken the time to think things through a little more logically then he might have noticed how much of a fool he was being. Now though he was miles away from Konoha and any backup. More importantly though, he had left Konoha without a word to anyone and just charged on to Wave Country to play hero.

'_I need to relax and think for a moment. Jiji will probably know why I ran off like that. Iruka-sensei and Baa-chan will as well I hope. Team 7 may still be given the mission and probably be assigned a couple of Chunin or at least a Jonin because of the increased difficulty of the mission. If that happens then they will head to the main port with Kaiza sent the supplies he bought,'_ reasoned Naruto as he felt the weight holding his arms down lessen.

"_**There is also the blockade that Kaiza spoke of. They will be all around Wave Country and if Gatoh is a rich and wealthy as he sounds then he may have a private port somewhere in Fire country,"**_ added Hikari as she relaxed slightly and turned to face where Naruto would be.

'_That's right. He may own Wave country, but he would need other ports for his businesses. Fire Country is the only place close enough for him to station any kind of reserve group. Having a "base of operations" in Fire country would probably be risky though because of Konoha. That problem is lightened some though because Konoha has to pay more attention to western and northern borders,'_ thought Naruto as he ticked off placed he might be able to get to Wave Country or find Gatoh.

'_Wait, we went to the major port city that services Fire country, and then traveled south,'_ realized Naruto suddenly.

"_**That's right Naruto-kun. Based on the estimated distance that you have traveled…"**_

"I should be near Wave country where the bridge would connect," finished Naruto as he jumped up and moved towards the coast line. He could kick himself for completely forgetting his basic geography. If Anko had been there she would probably be laughing at him because he forgot something so obvious.

Minutes later he broke through a copse of trees to reveal high cliff overlooking the channel between Fire country and the Land of Waves. He couldn't see the country due to a dense fog that always seemed to hang between the two lands but he knew it was there. As he focused in on the fog he thought he could faintly see the bridge that was being constructed. Then again it could just be his imagination playing tricks on him.

"Thanks for getting me to calm down Nee-chan. If you hadn't of done what you did I would have made it all the way to Tea country before I realized my mistake," admitted Naruto as he dropped down to the bluff below that also seemed to house a small village.

Walking through the village though only served to confirm Gatoh's foothold on the Land of Fire.

Villagers quickly ducked inside as he walked through the center of their rundown home. Poverty and disease could easily be seen, from the rodents running the streets, to the ragged clothes worn by men, women, and children. The flies floating around bodies in alley ways only added to that belief. The armed men walking towards him with their hands on weapons was just icing on the cake.

"You better head on out boy because we don't want the likes of you here," stated one man as he stopped in front of Naruto.

"Since when did they let babies play ninja," asked another.

This caused all of them to laugh at the statement as Naruto just glanced down at his hitaiate around his neck. The leader of the band though seemed to tense slightly at the words of his follower and started pulls his sword from his belt.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," stated Naruto. The group laughed at his words and the villagers who were outside quickly rushed into their homes. Doors and shutters were slammed shut as the tension started to rise.

One of the rag tag samurai moved to slash at Naruto with his shouldered Katana. Naruto side stepped the attack and quickly ducked under a follow attack from a second man. Shortly after that a burly man tried to smash his head in with his spiked club. Instead of blocking this he jumped back to give him some room.

'_I don't have time to waste on these punks,'_ thought an irritated Naruto.

The leader of the group came running at Naruto this time with his sword above his head ready for a slash. Deciding to meet the attack, Naruto charged forward as well and spun. He had completed one revolution when he touched down and thrust his free foot out at his opponent.

Everyone watched as the man was forced back into the arms of the man with the massive spiked club. Those from the village who bothered to watch the fight were stunned at the attack. The bandits, turned wannabe samurai were stunned as well. Despite what many thought though it wasn't the fact Naruto had attack and knocked the man back. It was the fact that when Naruto attack he had never touched the man with the kick. To everyone watching it was as if a burst of air had come out and slammed into the man.

"If you want to fight me then fine. I need to get to Wave country fast and I'm not going to put up with you punks any longer," growled out Naruto as he lowered his leg and reached back to pull out his Tonfas.

"What are you waiting for get him," yelled the leader as he struggled to his feet. "He's just like the rest of those punk ninja from Konoha! He wants to fight, then fine! Call the rest of the boys and we'll show him not to mess with us or Gatoh," added the man as he charged forward once again.

Naruto frowned when he heard there might be more of these people in this small fishing village. That meant that the trouble wouldn't stop with this group of five. The only thing he could do now was take out who ever came out and hope the rest would clear out or be mopped up by any force that came after Naruto.

With a heavy sigh Naruto spun on his left leg and slashed out with his right. The result was a razor sharp wind being sent out and cutting the spiked club in half; with the heavy part falling onto the wielder's foot. He continued his spin and planted his right foot and thrust out with his left to send a burst of air into the gut of the same man.

He quickly back-flipped to avoid the two katana that tried to take off his head. He couldn't help but smile though as the two blades crashed into each other and the owners cursed at each other for getting in the way. Flipping back onto his feet he leaned back and then jerked forward while pulling his arms back and then crossing them as he jerked forward. The result this time was twin blades of blue flames that slammed into the two men and sent them crashing into the ground.

By now they were starting to fear the blond ninja in front of them. They had never before seen someone send fire from their weapons or kick wind at them. If this person could fight like this then what would his jutsus be like?

"What the hell are you," asked one of the now frantic men as they started to backpedal away from the person who was supposed to be an easy kill.

Naruto looked at the three men he had already dealt with and the two standing behind them. They were nothing impressive, just common thugs who tried to intimidate their opponents into submission. When that didn't work they fell back to using superior numbers. It seemed though Gatoh had another step in case that didn't work and that was buying off his opponents.

"How many people form Konoha have you bought off," asked Naruto as he started to step towards the cowering fools. The five looked at each other as Naruto asked his question and started to stalk them. The question came out of thin air; at least it seemed like that to them.

"N-none… Most of the people from Konoha turned down money," stammered their leader as he tried to climb to his feet.

"Y-yeah, we normally just killed them," chocked out another, only to be hit on the head by one of the men behind him.

"Shut up! The others should be here soon and then we can kill this twerp," shouted one of the men who hadn't fought Naruto yet.

Naruto just smirked at the man as he said that. The fanged smile that started to grow was unnerving to the cowardly men who were used to scaring people into submission.

"How many men do you have here," asked Naruto as he crossed his arms and looked at the men.

The two men who hadn't fought him yet looked at each other before they smiled at the question. They knew how many people they had there and if all of them attacked at the same time this boy wouldn't be able to beta them all. He might beat a few people if they came at him one at a time, but what would he do when thirty people came at him at the same time.

"There are thirty others here besides us and they should be here in seconds," yelled one of the men. This one had a spear and several scars decorating his bare torso. The two men seemed to brighten up when Naruto looked as if he was having second thoughts on confronting them. It was something they had often seen with other Shinobi and so called freedom fighters.

"I see," mumbled Naruto before he stood up straight as a board.

A pulse of energy was felt by the Kyubi container as he looked past the men and through the mist towards the Land of Waves. He was being called across the water by something he had been hoping for and yet he didn't want to feel the sensation of one of his father's special kunai being thrown.

'_Hinata-chan or Shino are in trouble,'_ flashed through his mind as he started to calculate the distance from his current location to where the beacon was flashing.

'_Damn, it's just at the edge of where I should be able to go to. One little mistake and I'll be useless to them and then things would just end up being worse then they were before,'_ thought Naruto as he finished his calculations.

"DAMN IT," screamed the boy as he became frustrated with himself.

He had given those kunai to them under the pretense that he would be able to go to them if they were ever in trouble. Now though it was proving to be more of an embarrassment to him and helped to show his inadequacies.

"Looks like the kid realizes he messed with the wrong people," snarled the man with the spear.

At the same time more and more of Gatoh's men were starting to circle Naruto. They held spears, clubs, swords, knives, and just about any other form of weapon you would expect of common thugs. None of them looked to be a seasoned warrior and the battle scars they had were just from infighting between the bandits and their own ranks.

Naruto looked up at the man who had spoken out about him losing his nerve. When their eyes locked, black slit silver eyes met startled brown as Naruto started to express his anger through his killing intent.

"I wasted too much time with you bastards," snapped Naruto as he brought his hands up to a crossed shaped seal and filled the area with clones.

The small army looked on stunned as a larger army of blond Shinobi appeared around them. One though just laughed, thinking that they were regular clones. His laughter stopped though when one of the clones next to him slammed its fist into his face and sent the man sprawling.

"Kick their asses and tie them up! I'm going to the Land of Waves," yelled Naruto as he jumped off the bluff while throwing towards where he could faintly see the outline of a bridge.

'_I'm coming Hinata-chan just wait for me and stay safe.'_

_**

* * *

**_

Konoha 

Tsunade sat in the office with her mentor with a bottle of sake sitting on the table between them. She and the Sandaime had spent the last twelve hours trying to smooth things over with the council and Naruto's sudden departure. It proved to be difficult since they couldn't just up and tell them all about Naruto's heritage and the complete reason why he reacted that way.

They were finally able to calm things down some what and only because Hiashi and several other clan heads agreed that immediate response to the situation in Wave Country was needed. That didn't mean that he would get off without punishment. He would be spending the three weeks after he returns doing nothing but D-Class missions, by himself.

"That brat sure knows how to cause me trouble," ground out Tsunade as she tilted her bottle of alcohol up and drained it of its contents.

"I could only imagine how he must feel though," admitted the Sandaime as he puffed on his pipe while looking out over Konoha.

Both had their own form of stress relief. For Tsunade it was drinking bottle after bottle of Sake and for the Sandaime it was smoking his pip and praying that his problems would vanish with the clouds of smoke.

"Team 7, Iruka, and Kaiza should all be nearing Port Town soon and from there they have a good two or three days until they make it to Wave. That doesn't count how long it takes to avoid the blockade and it doesn't factor in the weather," continued Tsunade as she sighed heavily.

After Naruto had rushed off they decided to send Team 7 and Iruka with Kaiza. Since they were going to be escorting the supplies, and any other Shinobi hired by Gatoh was busy looking for Tazuna, they would likely only have to deal with bandits or "pirates" hired by Gatoh for the blockade. Once Team 7 and 8 joined together then they would and should be able to handle most things thrown their way.

Iruka was sent along because of his affinity with Suiton techniques and knowledge of "naval" battles. It helped that his mother and father were the ones that used to head the Land of Fire's navy. Iruka had followed in their footsteps as he grew up and learned everything they had to teach. Before he decided to teach, he spent time with the Navy and occasionally battle pirates and having small skirmishes with the Kiri and Kumo forces. His experience out on the sea, and how to handle a ship and battle on the ocean would prove useful for that part of the mission.

"I wonder how many people still remember the legacy of the Umino clan on the seas though?" asked the Sandaime as he leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"Let's just hope that he remembers half of the things he claims to know," added Tsunade as she looked at her former teacher.

"I only hope that Anko never finds out and Naruto-kun returns safely," countered the Hokage while trying to ignore everything that could go wrong.

Tsunade could only now in agreement since she saw first hand the aftermath of the last time Zabuza and Naruto clashed. This time though she couldn't be there to fix him up if things went wrong. That though was just one of the problems that could come up. Another problem was what Naruto would do if he wasn't able to protect Hinata from the Devil of the Hidden Mist village.

'_I pray that Naruto never feels like I did when I lost Dan and Nawaki,'_ thought Tsunade as she fought to keep from getting consumed by those painful memories.

_**

* * *

**_

Wave Country 

Zabuza was seething now. He had finally tracked down his target, Tazuna. When he found the man he discovered that he was traveling with a Jonin and her Genin team. It was supposed to be an easy assassination mission. Kill the Jonin, Genin (if needed), and then kill Tazuna. None of them looked to be that dangerous. Hell the Jonin was a cake walk for him since she seemed to prefer Genjutsu and his mist neutralized that for the most part. So just how did things go to hell in a hand basket?

Even if the Jonin was an easy opponent, her Genin seemed to be rather skilled. The Aburame was a major annoyance with his Kikaichu and traps that he used early on in the fight. Then when he thought he had the upper hand it turned out the Hyuga had played him for a fool the entire time with that Bunshin. From there things just seemed to pile up on the Devil. The girl used the Bunshin to land a disabling blow to him and from there started to pick him apart. The only thing that kept him from succumbing to the pain was when he caught a glance of the necklace the girl had on.

The sight of the three pronged kunai made him livid. He never knew the Yondaime Hokage personally, but he had seen more then enough pictures to know who the man was. After his encounter with a similar looking boy nearly two years ago, who hailed from the same village and looked eerily similar… It didn't take much for the man to connect the dots while he lay in bed recuperating and plotting what he would do if he came across the boy again.

He had decided he would take away what ever was precious to the boy. He would make the boy watch as he took away those close to him. It only seemed fitting after what happened to the Demon Brothers.

Because of that he snapped and started to show them just why he was feared throughout Kiri.

The girl had to be close to his target and because of that he focused on her. She would be his target and just maybe the boy would hear about it. Even then, the boy would know what it felt like to lose someone and be powerless to save them. He would know just how Haku felt when he had examined the bodies of the Demon Brothers.

Then when he thought he had victory within his grasp that damned Aburame had to throw one of those damned kunai. If the theories were correct then the owner would be alerted to the fact that it was thrown and possibly teleport to that location in a blinding flash. To top it all off the girl had to use one of the devices made and used by that brat years before. All in all the former Shinobi Swordsman was not having a good time.

That though was nothing compared to how he was feeling now. He had been seconds away from grabbing the Hyuga girl when she had thrown that flash bang. The only thing that stopped him was a fist to the face but it wasn't by who he had expected to throw it.

"Resorting to picking on Genin now Zabuza? That is truly pathetic and low, even for you," snapped a woman who could kill most men with the glare she was sending him.

She was average height with short purple hair and deep red eyes that might have been exotic in any other situation. She wore a simple tight black vest that showed off ample cleavage and left little to the imagination. Add to that a pair of black pants that just barely seemed to hang on her hips and you had the perfect Kunoichi dressed to kill in more ways then one.

"Damn you woman! Why can't you just die or move on and leave me to my business?" yelled the man as he tried to stand once again.

The adrenaline rush he had felt earlier was wearing off and he was finally starting to come to terms with the fact he may actually die here. Haku was still hidden but then again so was the partner to this strange woman. There was no guarantee that Haku would be able to save him and escape.

The woman across form him didn't bother to answer as she brought her hands to her hips and settled them down there while cocking her head to the side. She seemed amused at his question and yet she still gave off the aura of complete business.

"I wouldn't have a problem with you Zabu-kun but you keep on trying to kill Tazuna here. Now I find you attacking Konoha Shinobi and trying to abduct a young girl. The reasons to kill you are slowly piling up," answered the woman finally as she narrowed her eyes at the battered man.

Zabuza had to bite back a snarl as the woman talked to him as if he was a fresh Academy Student. She had done that ever since she came onto the scene in Wave country and it was starting to piss him off. What could he say or do though when the woman had the skills to back up her jibes?

"I take it you plan on letting me leave again without any trouble," asked Zabuza as he thought back to his previous confrontations with the woman across from him.

This time she crossed her arms across her chest and only managed to amplify the cleavage shown, taunting the man with her femininity. Her face though was dead serious as she locked eyes with the man who looked to be on his last legs.

"I should kill you right now for what you've done to that girl. Had I not shown up there is no telling what you and Gatoh would have done to her. The only reason I don't kill you where you stand is because those are the risks a Kunoichi take when they put on that headband," stated the woman.

Behind her Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai offered a meek protest to the woman's declaration. It was true; Kunoichi often had to deal with more stress and danger because of their gender. Many didn't understand that when they signed up to become a Shinobi. That still didn't sit well in the mind of a "veteran" like Kurenai, or the fresh young minds of Kiba and Shino.

"Hehe, I suppose I should be glad that there is someone who believes in equal rights among Shinobi and Kunoichi," laughed Zabuza darkly as he looked towards his prey.

"That isn't the only reason I'm leaving you alive though Zabuza. Even from here I can feel an immense energy coming this way and a part of it seems to be fused with that kunai in the ground," added the woman as she smiled at Zabuza's startled expression. It felt good to toy with the man's emotions.

Before anything else could be said though a puddle of water formed behind Zabuza. It slowly started to rise behind the man and formed into what looked like a pane of glass. Once it was about the height of Zabuza though it froze over and took on the appearance of an ice mirror. Within that mirror was a masked figure, who quickly grabbed Zabuza before the two vanished. Slowly the dense fog started to clear and after a few minutes had completely vanished.

Once everyone was sure things had calmed down, Kurenai quickly started to check on all of her charges. First she stopped to check on Kiba and Akamaru; both seemed to be okay except for a few bruises and tender ribs. Shino seemed fine as well when she checked up on him, but then again the boy probably wouldn't tell her if he was injured. Tazuna seemed fine and was already talking to their savior. She was surprised to see that the man knew her.

Her main focus though was on Hinata who seemed to be smiling weakly as the elder woman approached her. Even with her busted lips, and cut eyes she seemed happy. A cursory check showed that she did have a few broken ribs and possibly a broken arm and leg from her beating. Those injuries though didn't stop her from clutching the strange Kunai that hung around her neck.

"How did I do sensei?" asked the girl weakly before she let darkness overcome her.

Kurenai started to panic as the girl slipped unconscious. If she had a serious concussion then that was the last thing she needed to do right now. She started to gently shake the girl and call her name out to rouse her but nothing worked. Full blown panic started to set in as everything she tried failed.

"You shouldn't worry. Once we get to Tazuna's house my friend can fix her up," cut in the woman as she kneeled next to Hinata and started to pick her up. The only thing stopping her though was Kurenai who tried to wrestle the girl from her grasp.

"I don't even know you so there is no chance in hell I will trust you with one of my students," snapped Kurenai as she tried to take control of Hinata.

"No offense, but you are hardly in any shape to worry about her. As the only one in good health I think I should be the one to transport her. There is no chance you would be able to offer stable transport in your current state. So either deal with it or I'll knock your ass out myself and carry you both," snapped the woman.

Crimson eyes clashed as the two locked eyes and tried to fight for dominance. It was only a matter of time though before Kurenai's injuries made themselves known and she back down as she coughed and fought back a gasp of pain.

"Fine, but could I at least know the name of the person who has decided to help us," asked Kurenai as she relented to the strange woman.

"I'll tell you my name but not here; the forest has too many ears for my liking," answered the purple-haired woman as she picked Hinata up and nodded to Tazuna to lead the way.

"Tazuna-san, I'm guessing by your escort that you lied to the Hokage about the type of mission this was," questioned the woman lightly as she glared at the bridge builder. "This Genin team had no business on this type of mission and could have easily been killed by Zabuza and his apprentice. You should be thankful that Konoha still sets a high standard for the Genin teams."

Tazuna could only nod nervously as she glared at him over the sleeping Hyuga's body. Gulping, he quickly moved ahead of the group to lead the way to his home.

Shino paused for a moment to pick up the kunai he had thrown earlier and quickly pocketed it. Once he was sure the weapon was secured he moved over to help Kiba move down the path behind Tazuna. Even with his injured team mate on his shoulder he couldn't help but stare at the woman in front of him. If his hunch was correct then he knew just who she was. If he was right then things were going to get livelier within the next few days.

It wasn't long before the rag tag group made it to what they could only assume to be Tazuna's home. Seemingly waiting for them was a woman who was probably the same age as Kurenai in a long dark green skirt and pink shirt with long dark hair. She seemed to be waving upon seeing Tazuna break through the trees, but her heart warming greeting died down the second she saw Hinata being carried by their savior.

"Father, what on earth happened?" called out the woman as she ran started to run towards the group, only to stop and look back into the house and nod.

"Tazuna go on ahead and make sure the bed Tsunami makes up is in my room. On your way in tell Aussa to come out and retrieve our guest while I talk to your escort," ordered the woman as she paused on the small walkway leading towards the home over water.

Tazuna quickly ran into the house and was soon replaced by another woman about Kurenai's age with auburn colored hair and strange orange square-shaped tattoos on her cheeks. She quickly checked over Hinata before taking her inside to presumably treat her for all of her injuries. Once she had vanished into the house the other woman turned towards the Konoha Shinobi and motioned for them to follow her inside now.

"I'm sure you have a number of questions for me and I have a few of my own for the young Hyuga and the Aburame there," said the woman as she took them into the house and sat them around a large table. "As for the young Inuzuka's injuries and his partner's, my friend will take a look at them once she ensures the girl is fine," stated the woman as the others moved to voice their own protests.

Kurenai stood there watching this mystery woman trying to figure out who she was, what she knew, and why she seemed familiar. It was a vague memory but she knew she recognized her from somewhere. She just couldn't figure out where.

"Where are my manners though? I supposed introductions are in order. Why don't you start first and then I will introduce myself and my young friend," added the woman as she sat down and looked over everyone.

"My name is Yuhi Kurenai and I'm a Jonin from Konohagakure no Sato. These are my students Inuzuka Kiba; with his Ninken partner Akamaru, Aburame Shino, and the one being treated in Hyuga Hinata. As you noticed they are my Genin team, and sadly they were given this mission too early in their career," greeted Kurenai as she motioned towards each of her students while wincing slightly with each movement.

"HEY we could have handled that punk. I mean hell Hinata beat the crap out of him till he snapped over her weird necklace," shouted Kiba before he groaned and sat back down.

Kurenai looked at Kiba as if he had grown a third head before she shook her head dismissively. Shino was shaking his head as well while he fixed his glasses.

"Kiba, did you not find the way he fought familiar?" questioned Shino as he shifted under the gaze of the woman across from him.

"Should I? So the guy made a bunch of mist and used Suiton techniques. All that talk about different ways to kill people in a single attack was probably just to make us scared. I could care less about his Noisy Homicide technique or what ever you called it," countered Kiba as he huffed and started to pet Akamaru.

Kurenai shook her head at the boy's antics and made a note to chastise the Inuzuka about not paying attention to details. If he couldn't make that connection then he could very well end up getting himself killed in the future.

"I suppose it is my turn to introduce myself. My name is Hiita, and my friend is Aussa, my adopted daughter. We were passing through the country when Tazuna and his family really started to get into trouble. Since then we've been living here helping them until they could complete the bridge. It was on my word that he left to Konoha for supplies and to hire protection. I would have never imagined that he would lie to the Hokage," said the woman as she smiled at those across from her. Shino narrowed his eyes slightly as the woman lied to their faces about her identity.

"I'm glad you were here. I'd hate to imagine what would have happened to Hinata if you hadn't of shown up when you did," thanked Kurenai as she bowed slightly.

After that silence settled in on the group and was only broken by the woman named Tsunami as she brought tea for the group. After that the silence was filled with Kiba talking softly with Akamaru and the woman known as Hiita humming softly to herself. Before long the one know as Aussa came walking into the room with a smile on her face.

"She should be fine now. I was worried about the concussion she had suffered but she is fine now. Why don't I take a look at you ma'am and then I'll look at your students," said the woman as she walked in and smiled at the group. With those words though she walked over to Kurenai and helped to get up and then leave the room.

"Hey Hiita-san, you seem to know a lot about Shinobi, were you one by any chance," asked Kiba suddenly as he looked up from Akamaru.

"I was always fascinated by the stories of Ninja when I was younger. I managed to get some training back then from a man who was passing through my village. From there I just improvised and learned on my own," answered the woman with a smile that caused the Inuzuka to blush.

Minutes late Aussa came back out again and motioned for Kiba to follow her. That then left Shino with "Hiita", Tsunami, and Tazuna.

"I take it your Sensei is a fairly new Jonin to be this trusting of someone she hardly knows," asked Hiita as she sipped at her tea while eyeing Shino.

"I do not mean any disrespect towards Kurenai-sensei but yes she is a new Jonin," answered Shino while sitting there and ignoring his tea.

The woman seemed to smile at the boy and his behavior. Tazuna and Tsunami could only watch on as a game of chess was played and each of the players tested their opponent. It seemed to be a test of nerves, something that seemed to happen frequently with their new found protector.

"I've fixed them all up so they should be as good as new by tomorrow afternoon. They are all sleeping right now with the help of the tea Tsunami made," declared Aussa as she came walking into the room with a smile on her face.

Everyone looked to Shino to see if the aforementioned tea had any kind of affect on him. Those who weren't a ninja were surprised when he raised his head up to look at the two women across from him.

"Kazama Kusanagi Motoko and Kazama Rin," was all Shino said as he looked at them from behind his glasses.

The mood seemed to be more serious after the words had left his mouth. Both of the women shifted slightly upon realization that this young Aburame knew who they actually were. Even Tsunami and Tazuna seemed surprised that the young boy knew who they were; after all they had been going by fake names since they started to help them.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you know who we are, not since you have the kunai used by my husband. I'd like to know just how you got a hold of that weapon and why it was active when I arrived," questioned Motoko as she locked eyes with the boy.

Shino thought about how he could answer the question. He could be straightforward and honest with his answer, or he could hold some information back. Training told him to hold something back since that would keep he coming back for more. It would also allow him more time to gather information about the woman incase she decided to skip town before Naruto could arrive.

Withholding information also held a few risks. One such risk being the fact that his team's fate was in their hands, as was his own. He knew there would be little to no chance of him overpowering the two Kunoichi and the only chance he might have was to put his own mission objective in danger. That wasn't a viable option to him. He could try and surprise them with his Kikaichu, which he had already set in motion, but comments from Naruto about the jutsus used by his mother did little to encourage him.

'_I may as well act how I normally do and be straight forward,'_ decided Shino.

"I was given the weapon in case I or my team was ever in danger. As for who gave me the weapon, I am not at liberty to say. I can only guess that you have an idea of who it was that gave me the weapon," answered Shino while trying to not seem intimidated by the chakra being released by the red-eyed woman.

"It seems that the boy has some guts," said Rin as she laughed lightly at Shino's behavior. Even Motoko seemed to laugh briefly as Shino continued to squirm, even if slightly. Before anything else could be said though, they all felt an immense amount of chakra being released.

Motoko and Rin looked at each other, panicked at what they could feel from in the chakra. It was something neither had felt for nearly thirteen years and something they had both never wanted to feel again. It was nature's fury being unleashed and singing a song of destruction for those who would dare try to silence it.

"K-Kyubi," whispered Rin as she looked towards Motoko who was staring outside the window behind Shino with wide eyes.

Shino flinched slightly at the words of the woman and wondered how they would react when the finally saw what had released that energy. To him though the Chakra was slightly warming and promised him protection. It might have been calming if the rage hadn't of been mixed in with everything else.

"It seems that Naruto has finally arrived," muttered Shino while looking back out the window and trying to tell where the energy was coming from.

Hearing a gasp from behind him he turned to see Motoko covering her mouth as a horrified look crossed her face. Rin was already by her side trying to comfort the woman as they both realized what Shino had muttered.

"M-My little Naruto," was all Motoko was able to say before she passed out.

_**

* * *

**_

Zabuza 

Elsewhere in the Land of Waves two other figures froze in fear. They had felt that energy before, but it had been no where near as strong as it felt now. A man in baggy camouflaged pants lay in his bed gasping as the air seemed to become thicker and harder to breathe. The person next to his bed nearly collapsed to his knees as the weight of the air became too much for him.

"H-he truly is the Demon Hidden in the Leaves," said the man in the bed as he thought back to when he had first dubbed a blond-haired boy with that name.

It had been a joke before but now it seemed to fit perfectly with what he was feeling. He held no hope of being bale to defeat someone who could harness the power of a Biju and knew he was out of his league now. The only chance he might have of defeating the monster he had created was with the help of an old friend.

After what felt like hours the energy subsided and left everything that felt it awaiting their destruction. To many it seemed as if they were now on borrowed time, and that may have been true for two of the people who felt the energy.

"Haku send word to Kisame that I will need his help. I have no doubt that he felt this energy as well and may already be heading our way," was all Zabuza managed to say before he fell unconscious.

The boy sitting next to him nodded and slowly righted himself before heading to where they kept messenger birds. The one he wanted was easy to spot, a falcon that held the same predatory eyes as the person it would soon be flying to.

_**

* * *

**_

Naruto 

"_**Calm down Naru-chan. Hinata is still alive and well. There isn't enough blood around here for the worst case scenario,"**_ soothed Hikari as Naruto finally started to regain control of his chakra.

When they had arrived at where the Kunai had been thrown they were both shocked to see nothing there. They had made it to the location as quickly as humanly possible under the current conditions. Even then, they seemed to have arrived too late.

The scent of blood was all over the place, and they easily picked up the scent of Hinata's spilled blood. Mixed in was the scent of Kiba and Shino and a person they could only guess to be Kurenai. What had caused Naruto to snap though was the smell he had filed away in his memory for future purposes a little more then a year ago.

Momochi Zabuza's blood, information, and scent had been carved into his memory after the first confrontation between the two. To find evidence of the man he hated second only to Orochimaru made his blood boil to a point that his animal instincts started to take control.

It was only after several minutes of frantic searching of the area that he started to calm down. Zabuza's scent moved away from Hinata and a new scent of fresh grass came onto the scene. From there Zabuza seemed to run away from the fight, and the scent of grass merged with the others.

He wasn't able to track the smells though for more then a few feet before all traces of their passage had vanished without a trace. Who ever it was had cleaned up all the tracks of Team 8, their scent, and then covered up their own passage. It didn't do much to soothe all the thoughts running through his mind, but he knew they had to be safe for the time being. It would have to be enough for now.

'_I'm going to kill that man this time Nee-chan. I don't care if Anko-nee-chan doesn't want me to. If I had done it back then, Hinata-chan and the others wouldn't be in danger,'_ swore Naruto as he leaned against a tree to get what rest he could.

Even with his stamina he would need to rest. He had been moving for nearly three days straight and had little rest. He had also burned up a great deal of chakra with the Kage Bunshins before and the surge of chakra from minutes ago.

"_**You should return to the village we passed on the way here before you go to sleep,"**_ said Hikari, more then a little concerned about him sleeping out in the open.

'_That's too far away Nee-chan. I think I know a better place to rest for now. After that I can look for Kurenai-sensei and the others,'_ answered Naruto as he pulled himself up and started to stumble into the woods.

The surroundings slowly started to become familiar to both container and demon as he stumbled upon a cave that they hadn't seen for nearly six years.

_**

* * *

**_

Blockade 

The ship rocked back and forth as it raced across the waters. Not only did the crew of the ship have to battle Mother Nature herself, she was proving to be a very temperamental woman, but they also had to repel borders from the ships controlled by Gatoh.

Once the cargo ship had gotten close to the territorial water of the Land of Waves they were busy cutting hooks from the side of the ship. Hooks and borders were not the only thing they had to worry about though. There was also cannon fire from the ships blocking their way.

The cannonballs though were not the main thing to worry about from these "pirates". What they truly had to worry about was the chunks of metal that could easily tear ship, sail, and human into ribbons. It was the job of the Shinobi to quickly counter these weapons and destroy them if possible. Destruction of those weapons was favored over simple countering.

"These bastards are well armed," shouted Iruka over the wind and the boom of the weapons being fired.

Seconds after his shout he had to run back to the starboard (right) side of the ship to cut boarding lines. During the time he had to avoid arrows from the ship currently running alongside of them. Before ducking below the rail though he saw something that was sure to put a wrinkle in Captain's plans.

It turned out that these so called pirates didn't just depend on their cannons and the flak like material to tear up sails. They also seemed to favor deck mounted ballista that could easily be used to punch holes in the hull of the ships.

"Sasuke watch this side of the ship, I'll be back," yelled Iruka before he jumped from the deck of the cargo ship onto the attacking ship.

Sakura and Sasuke were stunned slightly at seeing their relatively peaceful instructor being adept at combat on the sea. In all the times they had sparring sessions in the Academy he had never been the one to instruct them. It had always been Mizuki, and after he had left another Chunin handled the job. Because of that they were slightly surprised to see the gentle teacher easily dispatching the men on board the attacking ship.

What surprised them even more though was when he jumped into the water and started to swim much like one of the animals they had seen before the storm came in. He moved through the water with the grace they had only seen on the creatures known as dolphins, and his namesake. Seconds later the ship he had boarded was blown out of the sea by explosive tags and Iruka was exploding out of the water and onto the deck of the cargo ship. To most of the sailors and the rookie Genin it looked as if he had just gone for a swim.

"I see you still have it Iruka," called out Kakashi as he threw a kunai at another ship along the port (left) side. A flash of light later and the attacking ship was falling behind as water started to rush into its hull and slow it down and eventually sinking the ship.

"Things would be a lot easier if this storm would pass. I suppose though it helps to slip pass the blockade," yelled Kaiza as he came sliding down a line from the mast.

Sakura and Sasuke were still dumbfounded at how the people on the ship seemed to react so easily to the atmosphere. Here they were on a large, slow moving cargo ship fighting off ships left and right, and they hardly seemed worried about it. Not only that but they seemed to have no problem handling the turbulent ocean.

Sakura quickly ran to side of the ship and emptied her stomach as the rocking motions finally got to her. Never before had she expected to be on a ship in a storm out at sea when she signed up to be a Shinobi. None of her medical skills were helping her deal with something that even seemed to have an effect on Sasuke. She didn't feel too bad about it though. Seasickness also seemed to get the better of Kakashi, so she wasn't that disappointed at her behavior.

"Two more ships spotted coming this way! One from starboard and another from aft" shouted the look out high upon the ship's mast.

"I can't wait till we reach dry land," muttered Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi at the same time.

Iruka just laughed at the members of Team 7 as he prepared for the incoming flak, cannon fire, and any other weapons these pirates might use to slow them down. He felt at home out here on the sea and was glad to have a chance to show his former students he wasn't just some stick in the mud teacher.

"Incoming arrows," yelled Iruka as he ducked behind the armor plating that had been installed just for this blockade run. The thudding and pinging of arrows hitting metal and wood echoed across the ship. Sadly though there were also a few screams of pain as some of the crew members were hit.

"Sakura move them below deck and treat their wounds," yelled Iruka as he flew threw several hand seals.

Seconds later a giant wall of water shot up on the starboard side and blocked the arrows and cannon fire with ease. At the same time Sakura was grabbing the injured men and trying to pull them down below deck. Seeing her having trouble, Sasuke and other crewmen ran to help her with the men who probably weighed three times as much as the pink-haired Kunoichi.

'_Damn it, I wish I was able to use Tsunade-sama's super strength right now,'_ groaned the girl as people rushed to help her.

"_**These bastards think we are just some defenseless girl! We should show them not to underestimate us,"**_ shouted her other side.

'_I can't focus enough to increase my strength. I have a hard enough time with using the medical jutsu I know. All of this rocking is just too much,'_ groaned the girl as they entered the safety of the cabins.

"_**Well at least we have Iruka-sensei to help us out. He looks kind of cool yelling out orders, swinging from the sails, and jumping onto those enemy ships. CHA! He looks so handsome as he battles all those people by himself and jumps away as the ships blow,"**_ shouted her inner-persona. At the same time she seemed to be showing a more dramatic view of the events unfolding with a bare chest Iruka swinging around.

'_No! No! NO! This is Iruka-sensei for crying out loud! You are NOT allowed to think that way about him! Besides him and Anko are seeing each other and doing more then what friends should do with each other,'_ shouted Sakura as she tried to shake those thoughts out of her head. In an effort to ignore the thoughts and images being brewed up by her inner self, she started to focus on her patients.

She broke the shaft of an arrow that was sticking out of the shoulder of one of the wounded men. She then inspected the wound and was glad to see that the head had gone all the way through the shoulder of the man. It would make pulling the arrow out easier for her then it would have if it hadn't.

"I want you to bite down on this because this might hurt some," said Sakura as she put the broken shaft in the man's mouth.

Once she was sure he had it firmly in his mouth she pushed the end of the shaft some to move the head further from his shoulder. While doing this she could hear and see the man cringing and fighting the scream of pain that threatened to spill out from him. Once she had enough room she reached behind the man and grabbed the arrow right above the head and pulled the rest of the wooden shaft free.

By now the man was in tears and the bit was starting to splinter. Sakura whispered words of encouragement to the man as her hands started to glow with green fire and hover over the wound. Slowly the flesh started to stitch back together until the only sign of injury was the torn and bloodied shirt.

"There, all healed. I want you to stay down here for a little longer and rest. It may have been fairly minor but you still managed to lose some blood. Rest for a few hours and you will be free to go back to work," ordered Sakura as she pushed him down onto his bed and moved onto her next patient.

While working on her patients she could her shouts coming form the deck. She heard "prepare to repel borders" echo down into the hold several times. The pounding of feet racing across the deck and down the halls was enough to drive her crazy. If that wasn't enough though she had to try and keep her patients calm while the ship groaned and thuds were heard coming from the walls.

'_I am never stepping foot onto another ship as long as I live,'_ thought Sakura as the ship vibrated under another assault. Minutes later more of the crew was brought down battered and bloodied.

_**

* * *

**_

Hinata 

Lavender eyes slowly opened as rays of light shined down through a window. The owner tried to remember where she was but all she could recall was dropping a flash bang and Zabuza lunging at her.

The last thought caused the girl to bolt up straight in her bed and scan her surroundings. What she saw caused her to calm down slightly. She wasn't anywhere you would hold a prisoner. Resting beside her was her sensei, Kurenai. Neither one of them seemed to be wounded or restrained in any fashion. Their weapons seemed to be resting at the foot of their respective beds as well, which helped to prove they were not prisoners.

Upon inspecting the room further though she noticed a strange woman she had never seen before. She had short purple hair and seemed to have a pale complexion similar to her own. She seemed to be stuck in the middle of some nightmare though as she cried out in her sleep and rolled around in bed. Her kindness got the better of her as she moved towards the woman and tried to calm her with soothing words.

Her words seemed to have some affect on the woman but the second she tried to move the woman back into bed she bolted up right screaming.

"ARASHI NO!" yelled the woman as tears started to fall down her face and she grabbed Hinata's hands.

"Please calm down, everything is fine," called out Hinata to the crying woman.

Footsteps could be heard thundering down the hallway and the door was thrown open by a woman with strange markings on her cheeks. Behind her was Tazuna, another woman she had never seen before and a young boy. The first woman came running over the second she saw what was going on.

"Motoko-sama please calm down. You have to remember what happened Motoko-sama," called Rin as she wrapped the woman in a hug.

"R-Rin, m-my little N-Naruto is out there some where isn't he," cried the woman as she was rocked back and forth.

Hinata was now confused as the woman continued to talk about her little Naruto and regretting leaving him when she did. Her thoughts raced as the two women continued to talk and one tried to bring the other down from her hysterics. She couldn't think of anything else to say other then the single name that stayed stuck in her head since the woman started to talk.

"Naruto-kun," said Hinata. It wasn't a statement but it wasn't a question either. To her it was just a name that conveyed her confusion over the situation happening in front of her.

The woman stopped crying when she heard Hinata whisper the name of her son and slowly turned to face the girl. Her eyes widened slightly and started to tear up once again as she slowly crawled towards the young Hyuga. Everyone watched as the woman brought her hands up to cup the young girl's face.

"You must be Hitome-chan's daughter," whispered the woman as she smiled and nodded at Hinata's unasked question. "You look so much like your mother it is amazing. Please, can you tell me if Hitome-chan is still…"

The woman trailed off with her last question and she seemed to regret even asking it when Hinata started to tear up this time. The Hyuga girl could only shake her head before the woman pulled her into a hug. After several minutes both females seemed to finally calm down and separated from each other.

"I'm sorry about the commotion I've caused," said the woman as she looked towards the door and those gathered in it.

"Nonsense Motoko, You seem to be stressed and I don't blame you after all I've heard," chided Tsunami as she walked in and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"I could hardly fault you for anything after you've kept this family safe for so long," stated Tazuna firmly from the doorway. The young boy could only nod in agreement as he looked at Hinata before hiding behind the legs of Tazuna with a blush on his cheeks.

"Thank you, but could you leave us so we ladies could get dressed. I'm sure Hinata-chan here must have a few questions about the events following her confrontation with Zabuza," stated Motoko as she tried to get everyone to leave the room.

The room quickly emptied as Rin and Tsunami pushed everyone out, except for Kurenai, and quickly shut the door. The two conscious occupants of the room moved to quickly change their clothes before they left the room and headed downstairs to where Shino sat.

"Hinata-san, Motoko-sama. It is good to see you both awake," greeted Shino as he stood and bowed to the two.

"There isn't any reason for that behavior Shino. You and your friend here still need to tell me exactly why you have the weapon made famous by my husband," chided Motoko as she sat down and motioned for Hinata to sit next to her.

Shino quirked an eyebrow at how close the woman seemed to be with Hinata in such a short amount of time. He imagined it had to do with the little episode that occurred minutes earlier and that the two some how bounded in such a short amount of time. He would ask Hinata later but would try not to pry too much into the situation.

"Um, I don't even know your name," whispered Hinata as she looked down at a cup that was set in front of her. Motoko smiled as she remembered a similar situation occurring back when she was younger.

'_She is so much like her mother. It must pain Hiashi to see her every day with Hitome passing.'_

"My name is Kusanagi Motoko, and I was asking your friend here where you and he were able to gain the legendary three-pronged kunai with a blood summoning seal wrapped around the handles," answered Motoko as she reached over and tugged the necklace out from under Hinata's jacket.

The girl tensed at the action before looking over to Shino and then to Motoko. She had wanted to keep that little thing a secret but it seemed that somehow the secret had been spilled. It was bad enough that Zabuza had seen it and snapped upon seeing it. Now this woman who seemed to know her mother and Naruto wanted to know about it. Then there was Shino who was sitting across from her and learning about the secret gift Naruto had given to her.

When she turned to look at the Aburame heir she was shocked to see him holding a larger version of the weapon dangling from his finger. It looked like a more practical weapon then the one she had dangling from her neck. That fact alone let her know how much it probably meant for Naruto to give her the smaller and more intimate object.

"I was given this as a gift on my birthday a couple of years ago by a very close friend. He told me that if I was ever in trouble to just throw this and he would be there," said Hinata finally as she started to finger the strange weapon.

"Then why didn't you throw it when that Zabuza fellow attacked," asked Tazuna as he settled down on another side of the low table.

Hinata looked up at the man as her eyes settled into a resolve that shook the man. It wasn't something he would have expected from the meek little girl he had first seen back in the mission room. It was more like the person he saw fighting against Zabuza the day before.

"I probably would have done that at one point in time. That all changed though months before we graduated from the Academy and Naruto-kun needed help from others. I didn't want to be a burden to him and so I decided I would be strong for him, my family, and myself," declared Hinata while staring into the eyes of Tazuna.

Shino chuckled softly at the words from the girl. It sounded like the most passionate speech she had ever given. The sudden sheepish look afterwards just seemed to amuse him and Motoko even more. Still though, the young Aburame could tell that Naruto would be proud of her words. Anyone who was close to her would be proud of her little speech.

"I'm proud to hear you say that Hinata," came from the stairs as Kurenai slowly made her way down and sat beside Shino. Even their Sensei had to laugh as the girl started to glow in embarrassment at being overheard by her teacher and friend.

"I was given this by Naruto-san as well for similar reasons. He had misgivings about this mission and now I can see why," said Shino in an attempt to take some of the attention from his glowing friend.

Kurenai just looked at her two students and the mystery woman. She had only been able to hear Hinata say where her necklace came from, and the resulting speech that followed Tazuna's question. Other then that she was still in the dark about what was going on. The only thing she could gather was that the woman was interested in the strange kunai held by Hinata and Shino.

Motoko eyed Kurenai from her side of the table and tried to weigh what she could say and couldn't say around the Jonin. She was hesitant to release too much personal information but by now it seemed like it was inevitable. That still didn't allow her to trust each of the Genin too much.

The only reason she trusted Shino was because the Aburame were loyal to people by nature. It was hard, nearly impossible to twist their logical thinking into something that would cause them to betray the ones they see as friends. That and the fact that apparently her son trusted him enough to disclose his heritage spoke volumes of the boy's character.

For Hinata it was a little more personal. The day before she hadn't been able to get a good look at the girl's face. The dirt, grime, and blood hid what was apparent when the girl was cleaned up. The girl seemed to be a reincarnation of her mother, down to her personality. There was a chance she could have ended up like Hiashi, but after hearing her speak and the way she acted earlier those chances had nearly diminished to nothing.

She probably wouldn't trust the Inuzuka boy as much as she did the other two Genin. He seemed more likely to run his mouth then the other two did at a given time. If she said too much about her past he might be likely to run his mouth about meeting the wife of the Yondaime, or the holder of a special sword, among other things he might hear. All of those topics could easily bring some unwanted attention her way.

"I know I didn't say much last night, and you are probably confused about what we were talking about," said Motoko finally as she looked over to Kurenai who just nodded.

"Hiita and Aussa are names me and my friend Rin have assumed to hide from people that are looking for us. I apologize for lying to you but it really is needed. I ask that you call us by those names any time we are outside of this house or your Inuzuka friend is around," elaborated the woman.

Kurenai nodded slightly in understanding. It was a standard procedure for many Shinobi to do. That though opened up a whole new set of problems for the Genjutsu user.

"Would my team be at risk because of those people pursuing you, or will they be safe," questioned Kurenai immediately.

"There is a chance that they might attack them. I am not an enemy of Konoha, but there are certain factions within Konoha that would prefer I never return to that village alive," answered the other woman.

"You should know though that I have and will always be loyal to Sarutobi, even though I may have a few questions for him when I return home," added Motoko as she noticed Kurenai tense once again.

Kurenai sat there wondering if she could trust the woman. She admitted to having enemies from Konoha, and quickly added that she was loyal to the Hokage. That though meant very little if the woman was a missing-nin. She could very well be attempting to mislead her once again, not something she wanted to fall into again.

"Kurenai-sensei, you may trust what she says. She would not to anything to bring us harm," added Shino upon seeing his Sensei's distress. "I pledge on my Kikaichu that she would do nothing to knowingly harm us or anyone else from Konoha without good reason."

"Fine," was all Kurenai said before she rubbed her temples to fend off the impending headache. The others around the table smiled as she caved in.

"Good, now how about we get to know each other a little better," said Motoko as she smiled at the present members of Team 8.

_**

* * *

**_

Naruto 

Naruto awoke in the cave that he had visited years ago around noon. His only worry upon waking though was to head into town and see what information he could find on the members of Team 8, Tazuna, Gatoh, Kaiza, and where the supplies would be off loaded once they made it to Wave. He wasn't worried about how the supplies would make it. To him there was no doubt that they would make it to the country safely.

With information gathering his primary goal, and the knowledge that people besieged by Shinobi being more skittish around Shinobi, he decided to forgo his usual attire. He sealed up most of his items into sealing scrolls and left what he wouldn't need right away inside of the cave before he set out.

By the middle of the afternoon he was walking through the streets of the village building the bridge to the mainland. What he saw disgusted him.

The village looked nothing like it did when he had visited years ago. It was run down, with garbage and rubbish lining the sides of the street and the alleys. He was surprised people would still live in a place where rodents and other plague infested vermin scurried about. If Tsunade was there she would probably condemn the entire village.

The way the people looked though bothered him the most. Many of the children looked as if they had lost the will to live. Others held a wild eyed look as they ran from alley ways to doorways. Grown men could be seen knocking down children and taking food or money from them. What disturbed him the most though was the men walking down the streets with swords pushing men, women, and children while kicking down little stands that had been set up to sell goods.

'_Gatoh has really destroyed this place,'_ thought Naruto as he watched Gatoh's men tear things down while laughing and spitting in the faces of the villagers.

"_**I hate seeing this place like this. It used to be so peaceful,"**_ agreed Hikari.

"Hey brat don't you know you are supposed to bow to us," said a scarred man in front of Naruto.

Naruto looked up at the one with an eye patch over his right eye and his scarred chest visible for the world to see. He wore black pants and had a sword stuck in his belt. His brown hair was done up in spikes and he sneered down at the boy in front of him.

With him was another with a black cap on his silver hair and a baddy white jacket over his brown pants. He also had a sword stuck in his belt and seemed to have the same sneer on his face as he looked down on Naruto.

"Yeah come on kid, boy down or we'll make you," added the second man as he reached for the handle to his katana.

Naruto just stared up at them as he contemplated what exactly he should do in this situation. Do as they wanted, or be his usual self. The choice though was made for him when the man with the eye patch backhanded Naruto and sent him flying into a pile of garbage. He growled as he reached up to wipe the blood from his lip and glared at the laughing pair.

"You're going to regret that," growled Naruto as he stood up.

The two kept on laughing at the boy as he made his way out of the garbage and back onto the street. At the same time people started to scurry into what ever building would offer them protection and let them keep their children from seeing what was about to happen to the stranger in the street.

"Sure we will kid. We aren't afraid of some snot nosed brat who gets slapped around so easily," laughed the man in the jacket.

"What're you going to do about it brat," asked the spiked haired man eagerly.

"_**Be careful Otouto. We don't want to blow our cover too soon,"**_ warned Hikari before Naruto could say anything.

'_To hell with our cover Nee-chan. I won't let these bastards mistreat anyone else,'_ snapped Naruto as he glared up at the men.

"How about I teach you how to summon a rabbit out of your ass?" questioned Naruto while smiling this time.

"_**What am I going to do with you?" **_asked Hikari as she brought her hand down her face.

The two me who had been laughing seconds before were now furious. It showed when they went for their swords and prepared to bring them down in an attempt to cut Naruto in half. "Attempt" was the keyword though since their attack never reached, and their swords were still sticking straight up in the air. Naruto was in front of them with his fist buried in their stomachs and a smile on his face.

The two were propelled backwards by the attack and sent tumbling end over end down the street. The force of the attack ended up sending them nearly three blocks before a stone wall stopped them dead in their tracks. Most of the villagers gaped at what Naruto did. Others quickly shut their doors in an attempt to separate themselves from the impending attack.

"That wasn't so bad," muttered Naruto as he dusted his hands off.

He was so busy cleaning himself up though that he never noticed the person watching him from the rooftops. If he had he might have noticed the tear stained tattooed cheeks as the figured fled the scene and heading off.

_**

* * *

**_

Team 7 

The storm had finally subsided some time around midnight. Near the same time the last of the Blockade in the area had been sunk, stalled, or run off by the defenders of the ship. It finally allowed the nonessential personal to rest.

None of them needed as much rest as one exhausted Chunin, and a very tired pink-haired medic. One was exhausted from spending nearly forty-eight hours straight defending the ship. The other spent nearly twenty-four hours straight seasick, healing the wounded, and cleaning up the blood soaked floor of the crew quarters.

Both collapsed where they were when they knew it was safe to do so.

"Those two sure put in a long days work," commented Kakashi as he stood by Kaiza overlooking the repairs to the ship.

"When I first saw that man I would have never expected him to be that ruthless," said Kaiza as he watched Sasuke start to drag Iruka below decks to a warm bed.

"I myself nearly forgot how dangerous he could be while out on the open seas. Next to one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist Village, I don't think there is another person that skilled at fighting on water. When his family was still around they devoted most of their time to being Shinobi of the Sea. It seems that their legacy lives on with him."

Kaiza could only shake his head at the statement. He knew that Ninja were a strange bunch, but his experience with the members of Team 7 only served as an example that you couldn't judge a Ninja by the cover.

Sakura had proven to be effective in combat as well as healing in one of the few times they had been successfully boarded. The boarders tried to make their way down below deck to blow a hole in the hull near the waterline and had come face to face with the enraged medic. With her anger helping her to focus, she had managed to use her strength to knock a few of the unfortunate men up through the deck. It surprised everyone to have bodies flying up through holes in the deck and then the few living runs running off screaming about a green-eyed monster.

Sasuke had proven he was capable of fighting in the turbulent seas as well. His Katon techniques had been used to burn the sails and created holes in the hulls of the attacking ships. His weapon skills had been showcased when he used one of his fuhma shuriken to protect the men on the ship from shrapnel attacks, and arrow barrages (**1)**. It was truly amazing to see him leaping around throwing weapons to intercept attacks, and watching him light up the sky with bursts of flames.

Watching as Iruka created massive walls of water to block or slow down attacks was an impressive feat. Seeing dragons of water roaring to life and crushing ships like the serpents of legends was a numbing thought to the man who had grown to fear such legends. Seeing him fearlessly boarding the enemy ships and destroy them single handedly was as impressive as what he saw the two women doing back in Wave. The way he attacked and hardly settled for just disabling blows was a stark contrast to the kind hearted man he had seen in the mission room days before.

Kakashi was everything he had expected from a famous Jonin but it was still amazing to watch him fight. He two created walls of water to protect the ship and did everything he could to stop people from boarding. When they were boarded he did what he could to protect the ship and the members of the crew from the ruthless attacks of the men under Gatoh's control.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to get used to regular life again," said Kaiza finally as he moved off to help with repairs up on the mast.

"I wish I could live a regular life again," was all Kakashi could say before he too moved off to help where he could.

The rest of the day went by slowly for those on the ship as everyone on board focused on repairs and treating the wounded, and mourning those who had perished in the attacks. As night settled onto the seas all lights were extinguished to help them stay hidden from Gatoh's patrols. It wouldn't be until midnight that the night watch shouted a warning out.

"Enemy ships heading our way! I count at least seven of them flying Gato's colors," yelled the man.

His words caused everyone to freeze in what they were doing. Never before had more then two ships come at them at the same time. Now they were going to have to face seven ships coming at them.

"Man the battle stations and damage control teams stand at the ready! Hell or high water we are getting through them and to Tazuna," yelled the captain.

His orders caused the crew to jump into action as they started to scurry up the rigging and run below deck. Weapons were drawn and bolted down to the deck as the men prepared their own deck mounted ballista and cannons, stolen by Iruka.

"Are you sure we can make it Captain?" asked Kaiza as he stood beside the man.

"I gave my word to Tazuna that I would help him and if a Captain can't keep his word then he doesn't deserve a ship to command," snapped the Captain as he turned to the fisherman.

"Besides, we captains of the sea have a belief. Any time a ship is blessed to have a dolphin along they are bound to reach their destination safely," added the man as he nodded towards where Iruka was coming up from below the deck.

The young Fisherman could only smile at the confidence of the Captain. He knew it wouldn't do for the captain of the ship to show fear in a situation like this. The crew drew their will to fight from the Captain, and if he caved into the pressure then they wouldn't be able to stand it either.

"What do you plan to do," questioned Kaiza as the ships seemed to move to intercept them. The Captain smiled at Kaiza. The smile seemed more maniacal then anything he had seen before.

"Simple, I plan to see who blinks first," was the only thing the Captain said before he started shouting more orders to his men.

Kaiza stared at the Captain like he was crazy, and anyone else who wasn't used to the man probably would have done the same. At the same times chains were being pulled from storage compartments on the deck and giant barbs were being connected to them before being thrown over the side.

"Haha, we'll make them regret every trying to stop us," laughed the captain once again as he turned the wheel so that they would run straight towards the centermost ship in the enemy formation.

'_I wish Tazuna would have told me his friend was crazy,'_ was all Kaiza thought on the situation before he ran to the station given to him by the captain.

_**

* * *

**_

Fire Country 

Team 10 stood in the small coastal village and gawked at all the men beaten and tied up to a broken statue of the Yondaime in the middle of town. They were decorated in burns marks, cuts, bruises, and various other injuries.

The road leading into the village had pock marks, small craters, and gouges that marked the progress of the battle that had taken place. Broken weapons littered the pathway along with small discs of cooled metal and half melted weapons.

"Geez, to think all of these bandits were hiding here and someone handled them before we got here," muttered Asuma as he stood up from his squatting position and inspection of the damage in front of him.

As a user of wind natured chakra, he knew the effects it could cause on the terrain. In all his time using wind in his Taijutsu though he had only seen one person use it like this. Even then though it was only when the boy was going through the forms and never against a human opponent.

This though confirmed reports of Naruto being in the area. It also confirmed his father's suspicions that Gatoh had a foothold in the Land of Fire. With all the trouble and massing of troops going on in Iwa, Suna, and Oto though, it was hard to keep all the borders under constant patrols. The only time things were investigated was when Shinobi failed to report, and even then things could be easily covered up if there were no signs of a battle. Not to mention that without a body it was hard to determine what exactly happened.

"What do we do now Asuma-sensei?" asked Ino as she looked around at the state of the village.

"We should probably ask who did this and where they went," answered Shikamaru as he started towards the group of men.

The ones conscious flinched slightly when they saw his hitaiate, and some even whimpered as the group neared them. Shikamaru and Asuma smirked slightly at the reaction and started to separate the group of men so that a member of the team would be able to question a handful at a time.

"Sensei, couldn't I just use my family techniques?" questioned Ino.

Asuma smiled at the girl's questions as he puffed away on his cigarette. He had been expecting the question from her, or at least Shikamaru. It would make things relatively easy for them, but there was also a chance Ino would see something Asuma didn't want her to see yet. Not only that but with the way the people and the village looked, Inoichi would kill Asuma if he let her use any of those techniques to peer into the depraved minds of these men.

"No Ino, take this as training for the T&I division. I want you to try and question them without using that technique. It will be good practice for you and you might be able to try out a few things you overheard from Ibiki and Anko," answered Asuma finally.

He laughed when the girl smiled like a kid in a candy store and Shikamaru seemed to shudder before turning to his small group. Choji laughed as well before he turned to his group and started to crack his knuckles while glaring down at the men.

"I already have a good idea of what happened here, so this should be short and sweet. A blond-haired boy with whisker marks on his cheeks kicked your asses, right?" asked Asuma as he sat down on a piece of rubble. The men started to nod their heads rapidly.

"That's right! But he wasn't any kid! He was a monster," said one of the men franticly.

Others with him nodded in agreement, and others still tried to stay quiet and defiant, despite the situation. Those were often the ones he enjoyed the most and he knew Ibiki and Anko really enjoyed cracking that type of person.

"So, where did he go off to," asked Asuma as he leaned back slightly and tried to relax after his day long run to this village.

Hearing them say he jumped off the cliff and vanished in a flash of light didn't sit too well with the seasoned Jonin. Upon pressing them harder he managed to get out that the boy had thrown a kunai towards the bridge being built and it was only then that he vanished in a flash of golden light. After that all they talked about was being knocked around by the clones made by Naruto.

'_Pops is really going to have a heart attack when he hears this,'_ muttered Asuma as he stood up to check on his students.

The first person he checked on was Ino, who seemed to be having a hard time with her group. Each time she tried to ask a question there would be a bunch of cat calls at her. Some of them were causing the girl to turn red; from anger, embarrassment, or something else he wasn't sure.

"Come on pretty lady, why not let us show you a good time once you help us get rid of the losers," said one of the men in the smoothest voice he could muster.

Just as Ino was about to open her mouth to say something though a _very_ large fist connected with the man's head and sent him tumbling across the ground. Those who could turn to look at a shaking Choji whose face was red with anger.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that, you hear me," bellowed the boy as he used a secret Akimichi technique to increase his height to stare down at the men like a God preparing to pass judgment.

Before anyone could say anything to the boy's statement, though a few of the men did relieve themselves in that moment, Ino placed a hand on Choji's fist. The Akimichi looked at his female friend as she smiled at him and gently pushed his fist back.

"That was very sweet of you Choji," said the girl as she continued to smile at the person who tried to protect her honor.

What happened next though caused many to balk as the girl continued to smile sweetly as he stomped on a man's groin. It didn't stop there though. She started to grind her heel into the ground, and caused the man to cry out in pain as something precious was smashed into paste. At the same time she unraveled the whip from around her waist and cracked it at another one of the men who had been catcalling at her.

"But I can handle things myself," finished the girl as she turned back to her group with a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.

Asuma sweat dropped at the girl's behavior and winced slightly before turning away from the scene. It looked like those two had things under control. After hearing girlish cries of pain, and shouts about things not supposed to being some place, he decided to check on his final student.

Shikamaru was laying on what probably used to be a fountain looking up at the sky. At the same time it seemed he decided to use his shadow techniques in a way he, Asuma, had never seen before. Tickling. Shikamaru had used his shadow to tickle his prisoners into submission and to question them. "Tickle" torture wasn't unheard of, but it was never as effective as the other forms of questioning for the more difficult targets.

This time though it seemed to work perfectly on a group of common thugs. They were spilling about everything that happened and even most things that occurred while they worked for Gatoh. The information spilling from them would be more then enough for a conviction and to take down most of Gatoh's operations within the country. It helped that the boy also seemed to have a tape recorder sitting there recording everything said by the men.

'_I don't know why I expected anything less from that kid,'_ thought Asuma before he whistled to call his team together.

Within seconds of his signal all three were assembled in front of him.

"Gather anything interesting," asked the Jonin before motioning for everyone to take a seat.

"One guy said he wet the bed till he was nineteen, and another confessed to being into little boys. Most of the people I had were sexual deviants and should probably be castrated the first chance we get," answered Shikamaru.

He managed to sound completely disgusted with the entire ordeal, and none would blame him if most of what he said was true. Most of what he said was expected, but they would have never expected them to divulge information about their pasts and personal history. Asuma only grunted in acceptance and took the tape recorder from the lazy Nara for safe keeping. Once that was done he nodded to Ino or Choji to give their report.

"Just a list of their crimes and what they were doing here. I did manage to find out that they killed several Konoha-Nins and managed to hide the bodies in a cave not far from here," stated Ino while smiling proudly at the Jonin.

"My guys told me that they some of their ships from the Blockade are due to arrive within the next few days for supplies. They keep gunpowder and several weapon stored here. Not only that but there is a private stash of grain, rice, and other food stuffs that get brought in stashed away in one of their smuggler caves. A shipment is supposed to arrive from Tea Country about the same time the Blockade ships arrive," added Choji.

"Great job. I want you Ino to start going house to house and see if they have any injuries that need to be mended. I want you boys to go and bring back some of the food and then Choji pass it out. Shikamaru you then help Ino with the treatment of any injuries," ordered Asuma as he stood and straightened his flak jacket.

All of the Genin answered before they left to carry out their duties.

_**

* * *

**_

Wave Country 

A falcon spiraled down from the clouds and onto the outstretched arm of a tall figure standing on the edge of a cliff. It landed lightly on the arm encased in a black cloak with red clouds. A blue hand came up and started to untie the small scroll wrapped around the leg of the falcon and once done it tossed the bird back into the sky. White eyes read over the scroll quickly and soon several rows of razor sharp white teeth could be seen underneath the conical straw hat.

"Well well, it looks like little Zabuza is going to need some help after all Itachi," said the blue skinned figure in a deep gravely voice as it turned towards someone in the trees behind him.

The figure in the trees stepped out into the waning light of the day to reveal a dark-haired young men when coal black eyes. In his hand was a hat similar to the one worn by the taller figure standing on the cliff. He wore a similar cloak to the taller man, but he was nearly a foot and a half shorter. He carried himself with an air of confidence and seemed to have a face carved from stone due to his lack of facial expressions.

"What does your friend need help with Kisame? We must track down that surge of demonic chakra and have little time to waste," said the man smoothly as he brushed his black hair out of his face.

The taller man laughed lightly as he removed his hat to reveal a man with blue scaling hair, and similar scales decorating his body. The gills on his neck would have seemed out of place on a normal person, but this man looked more shark like then normal. The beady eyes and razor sharp teeth helped to convey that somewhere in his family tree a shark was present.

"That's just it Itachi. My friend wants us to help him handle the Jinchuuriki of the Kyubi," said the man once again before laughing at his partner's slightly shocked face. "He even said something rather interesting about our target. Something about a kunai with three blades and a seal carved into the handle."

Kisame wasn't easily surprised, but the smile that crossed Itachi's face easily made it into his list of surprises. Yes, it wasn't every day that you got to see one of the most emotionless people on the Elemental Continent smile. Even as the Uchiha turned back into the forest the smile had not faded.

Seeing his partner continuing to walk away with out a word caused the blue giant to growl lightly before he moved to follow his partner. He easily hefted up a large bundle that had been hidden in the shadows as he passed the tree line and placed it on his back. He too started to smile as he vanished into the misty forest.

It wasn't everyday that you got to fight someone who could use the legendary _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ (Flying Thunder God Technique) after all.

_**

* * *

**_

**1. **Think of the first movie when his Shuriken was used to protect the one man from the incoming Kunai from the volley guns.

**A/N:**

Cut and Print I guess.

This will be the last chapter for this year, so I will see you all again next year, or hopefully in Altered Destiny when I get finished with the two chapters for it.

Lots of jumping around, but what can I say, lots of places I wanted to visit and touch upon. I know some people feel I could have done this differently, like make the Wave mission a Joint mission for Team 7 and 8.

That though is overdone, and happens more then what I have going here. Again, I wanted to make my Wave Arc different from what has gone on in the Wave Arc in other Fanfics. That is why I did not make this a joint mission. That is why this arc is broken up to so many different fronts.

Not to mention I wanted to highlight Iruka some and do some minor naval battles. Ninjas on the seas would be a great thing to see.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	16. Crashing Waves Part 1

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

_**"Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

_**Previously**_

"Well well, it looks like little Zabuza is going to need some help after all Itachi," said the blue skinned figure in a deep gravely voice as it turned towards someone in the trees behind him.

The figure in the trees stepped out into the waning light of the day to reveal a dark-haired young men when coal black eyes. In his hand was a hat similar to the one worn by the taller figure standing on the cliff. He wore a similar cloak to the taller man, but he was nearly a foot and a half shorter. He carried himself with an air of confidence and seemed to have a face carved from stone due to his lack of facial expressions.

"What does your friend need help with Kisame? We must track down that surge of demonic chakra and have little time to waste," said the man smoothly as he brushed his black hair out of his face.

The taller man laughed lightly as he removed his hat to reveal a man with blue scaling hair, and similar scales decorating his body. The gills on his neck would have seemed out of place on a normal person, but this man looked more like a shark like then a human. The beady eyes and razor sharp teeth helped to convey that somewhere in his family tree a shark was present.

"That's just it Itachi. My friend wants us to help him handle the Jinchuuriki of the Kyubi," said the man once again before laughing at his partner's slightly shocked face. "He even said something rather interesting about our target. Something about a kunai with three blades and a seal carved into the handle."

Kisame wasn't easily surprised, but the smile that crossed Itachi's face easily made it into his list of surprises. Yes, it wasn't every day that you got to see one of the most emotionless people on the Elemental Continent smile. Even as the Uchiha turned back into the forest the smile had not faded.

Seeing his partner continuing to walk away with out a word caused the blue giant to growl lightly before he moved to follow his partner. He easily hefted up a large bundle that had been hidden in the shadows as he passed the tree line and placed it on his back. He too started to smile as he vanished into the misty forest.

* * *

_**Crashing Waves Part 1**_

The sun finally crawled over the horizon and cast its light down upon the weary crew of the transport ship _Isamu_. They had fought hard through the night as they battled their way through Gatoh's blockade and only now did they get a reprieve.

The _Isamu_ had charged head on into the ships of Gatoh, and with twin _**Suiton **_jutsus from Kakashi and Iruka; they managed to use their superior bulk to ram through the first two ships. The giant barbs that had been lowered had ripped the bows of the ships to shreds as the transport rammed them and continued on past. While the initial charged had easily destroyed two ships, they had then slowed down and were now within the ring of the other five ships. This was when all hell broke loose as they fought their way through the ring of death.

Iruka quickly jumped into the water and was soon lost in the turbulent waters as the _Isamu_ tried to break through. One of the ships quickly opened fire with their deck mounted ballista and speared the port side of the ship. The hole that was punched in the hull was roughly five feet wide and well above the water. Kakashi had quickly moved to sever the rope attached to the missile to ensure that the hull wasn't pulled apart by the enemy.

The transport rocked when Kakashi had cut the rope, and the strain was finally taken off of the hull. While dodging a storm of weapons the Jonin quickly made his way back up behind the safety barriers on the deck of the ship. From the safety of the barrier he threw kunai wrapped with explosive tags at the enemy and watched as his students followed suit.

One of the ships off to the starboard side suddenly blew up in a shower of splinters and mist. Seconds later Iruka came erupting out of the water and onto the deck of another ship. Before he landed he found himself under attack by the crew. Sparks flew from daggers, swords, knifes, kunai, spears, and an assortment of other weapons brought to bear on the Chunin as he fought for his life. It had seemed the man knew when he was out numbered and quickly abandoned the ship and vanished below the water's surface once again. No one had much time to pay attention to the red trail in the water.

By this time another ship had already come along side of the transport, and hooked lines were being thrown over the railings. War cries could be heard as men tried to scale the ropes and lay claim to the crew's lives. Thankfully though their lines were quickly cut, and soon battle cries were replaced with surprised shouts and fear as they crashed into the water's surface.

Sasuke was sending a _**Katon**_ jutsu at the same ship that had just tried to board them. After two tries he had finally managed to catch the mast and sails on fire before he had to dodge a fresh storm of metal. Before he could move to attack again he heard someone behind him cry out a shrill cry before his ears were met with the sounds of bones break.

Turning around Sasuke could see the broken form of a man who had been struck by arrows and fallen off the mast in his surprise. The arrow wound itself didn't look to be too bad, but he had cracked his head open when he had fallen to the deck of the ship. Sasuke had to force himself to look away from the still form of a man he had just shared a meal with just an hour ago.

Sakura was doing her best to defend the ship and move the wounded to safety as she scurried across the slippery deck of the _Isamu_. There came a few times while she was carrying wounded men down below that she was forced to do something she had hoped she would never have to do. That something was putting the wounded man in the way of an arrow or other potentially lethal object to preserve her life.

It was something Tsunade had drilled into her, Ino, and Hinata. A medic was of no use if they were injured. In the battle field it was best that they try to avoid injury at all costs. If while moving the wounded to a more secure location they were threatened, the wounded would be used as a shield in a situation where they couldn't avoid. This was done to preserve the life of the medic and insure that the wounded had someone that could heal them.

Even though she was trained to do that, it didn't make actually doing it any easier. As Tsunade had told her, it was the sad life of a combat doctor.

The night continued in similar fashions for all those involved until dawn had finally broke.

Iruka was soaked to the bone and was now being taken down below decks by Sakura. Aside from his clothes being soaked with water, they were also drenched in blood from a slash wound he had sustained when he boarded the first ship. He also managed to rack up a few bite marks from creatures of the sea that had decided to home in on his wound.

Despite him being her teacher and senior, Sakura couldn't help be berate the man for battling while in that condition. Not only had it made the wounds worst and caused him immense pain, but he had lost a great deal of blood in the process of it. In the end he ended up being paler then he normally appeared as the Kunoichi took him down stairs.

Sakura wasn't much better though.

While she did her best to battle and heal, she had taken more then a few bumps and bruises. Her knuckles were coated with her own blood, and the blood of the people she had fought off. Her hands and the rest of her body was coated in blood as well from the many wounded she had carried below decks and worked on. Despite all of that though the thing that seemed to bother her the most was the way her hair clumped together from sweat and blood.

Kakashi was slumped up against the forward mast of the ship with Sasuke beside him. The silver hair of the Jonin was limp and plastered to the side of his head from all the seawater. His headband was secure around his eye as he took the first break they were able to have in hours. His shoulder was lightly bandaged by Sakura because of an arrow that had managed to break through his flak vest.

The Uchiha was pressed against the mast looking up at the sky as he tried to relax from the rush he had felt while repelling boarders and enemy ships. Had anyone asked him what he thought about fighting on a ship before, he might have scoffed at them. Now though he had a newfound respect for people like Iruka and others who sailed the seas.

Coming from a clan that spent most of their time battling in the forest or in open plains, he had never knew that battling on a ship could be so difficult. It was a constant test of balance, judgment, and overall endurance. A good grasp of basic chakra control methods, tree climbing and water walking were additional items that made it a little easier.

If Sasuke would ever admit anything it would be that Iruka had earned a small amount of respect in the eyes of the Uchiha.

"Well lads it seems we made it through in fair condition," yelled the Captain from the wheel house. The Captain hadn't gone without fighting and taken a few injuries himself. He had repelled borders with everyone else, and it showed.

His right arm was in a sling, and his midsection and left leg were bandaged. He had sustained wounds from arrows, daggers, and swords during the night as they fought to keep the _Isamu_ afloat.

"All those who need tending head down below so that the girl can check you out. If she deems you healthy enough to return to duty, do so right away; we still have repairs that we need to square away incase of another attack," ordered the man once again.

Many of the crew started downstairs to get checked out. Those who were not as injured, which was rare, moved to the deck and started clearing the debris and stray weapons off the deck. At the same time though Kaiza was coming from beneath the deck and surveying the chaos that had been unleashed during the night.

Out of everyone on the ship he was perhaps the only one free of injury. When the fighting had started the Captain and Shinobi had made sure he understood that he was supposed to stay below deck. He was after all part of their precious cargo that needed to make it to the Land of Waves safely. Because of that he had been delegated to acting as a nurse for Sakura.

Now though he was getting to see more of the fight that was being waged to protect him and the Land of Waves. He didn't need to look around to know how hard those men of the _Isamu_ had fought to keep their ship and him safe. He had heard the noise during the night, and seen the carnage that had been the triage. He had heard the screams of the wounded and dieing.

It also showed him something he couldn't believe, despite having seen other Shinobi battle before. He saw first hand what some Shinobi were put through. Not just any Shinobi, but those who were still considered kids by most standards. Yet they were fighting for his dream, and protecting him with their lives.

'_Are all of these people willing to give their lives just for us,'_ thought Kaiza as he looked around at the pock marked deck, mast, and hull.

What amazed him the most though was that it didn't seem like any of the crew blamed him for what was going on. They did look down but not once did they look at him with accusing eyes. In stead they seemed to hold a hint of pride in their eyes. They were proud in the fact that they were able to protect their ship. They were proud of the fact that their cargo was unharmed and would be able to make it to their destination safely.

"Don't feel bad Kaiza. My men and I swore an oath that we would protect you with our lives. You and your cargo stand for something that we believe in and we will do anything to ensure you make it there, even if it costs us our lives," stated the captain when he noticed Kaiza looking around the deck dumbfounded.

Kaiza looked at the man stunned for a second before he tried to say something.

"He's right Kaiza-san. While it may be our mission, our Hokage also believes in this mission. He wouldn't have sent the best Genin squad and one of our best Chunin specialists if he didn't believe in this cause," cut in Kakashi as he limped over towards the wheelhouse and Kaiza.

"What about that strange blonde boy that took off in the middle of the briefing," questioned Kaiza as he moved to help Kakashi walk to the wheelhouse.

That was a tough question for Kakashi.

For years he had resented the blond for numerous things. First and foremost for taking the lives of the only people he could have ever called family after his own had died out. With this mission though that hate seemed to be misplaced, if the story Kaiza told them was true, and the descriptions were of the ones he and the others thought of.

Now all he could do was try to fault the boy for the death of a man who had always been there for him, Kazama Arashi. The Yondaime Hokage had been like a Father to him when his own father had taken his life out of regret, all in hope to restore honor to the name of his family.

For years he had viewed Naruto as the Kyubi incarnate, and because of that he had come up with various reasons to "accidentally" leave his post to check on something he deemed more important. It was one of the few ways he could act out against the person he felt had ruined his life.

His hatred of the vessel only increased when the blond moved into the home of the Yondaime. He watched as the years continued to go by and Naruto lived in the house of his sensei with the student of the traitor Orochimaru. As the demon vessel started to look more and more like the Yondaime; those were a few of the things that drove him to do what he did at times when he and his team were assigned to watch over Naruto. Then he had been reassigned.

No, not reassigned, but demoted. Stripped of his duties and made into a lowly ANBU. It was one of the greatest embarrassments an ANBU Captain could ever suffer. Yet it was also the only thing that the Sandaime could do to him because of various political issues, and military issues. That didn't keep it from stinging the pride of Hatake Kakashi, or the dirty looks that were directed at him by some among the Shinobi ranks.

It sure as hell didn't please Anko or Ibiki.

Then of course Tsunade _and_ Jiraiya had come back to Konoha with the blond vessel. They even stayed in Konoha and started making reforms in the village. More importantly, to him, they were hanging around Naruto and treating him like a normal kid.

No, that wasn't right. They treated him special. They treated him like he was family. The SENSEI of the man who died at the hands of the _Kyubi_ was treating the _container_ like _it_ was family. It was just absurd to the one-eyed Jonin. He had thought that Jiraiya would hate the thing as much as he did. After all, Kazama Arashi was like a son to Jiraiya.

"Naruto is a very special kid, and a very gifted one," said Kakashi finally as he fought to shake off the ill feelings that threatened to consume him. It happened every time he reflected on his past and he knew it wasn't a healthy sign.

Kaiza looked at the man skeptically after he was given such a cryptic response to a question. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about such a response; except for one thing. The response did not make Kaiza feel all that confident about the blond helping on the mission. If anything it made Kaiza weary of the blond joining the group.

"Don't listen to Kakashi," came the labored voice of Iruka from the stairs leading to the hold.

He looked much better then he had when he was pulled down there by Sakura, but that wasn't saying much. His wounds had been bandaged, and his flak jacket removed for the time being. He was slowly making his way up the stairs by using the wall for support.

The fisherman ran over to help the Chunin up the last few steps and onto the deck of the ship. He had after all risked the most out of all of the Shinobi on the ship. It was the least that Kaiza could ever do.

"Do you know anything else about the boy," asked Kaiza as he helped Iruka over towards the wheel house. By this time Kakashi was picking Sasuke up from the mast and making his way down into the hold.

The battered Chunin grunted as he moved with Kaiza towards the wheelhouse and a smiling captain. While the two had yet to actually exchange any actual words, they always seemed to have a bond that confused Kaiza and the other Leaf Shinobi present on the ship.

"Naruto is a very courageous person who has spent most of his life fighting for what was right. When the shit hit's the fan I wouldn't want anyone else in my corner," said Iruka gravely as he eased up to where the Captain stood.

"You may find it hard to believe Kaiza-san, but Naruto has lived a life very few could come out of sane. If there is anyone who can relate to you and your family it would be him and he will do everything he can to ensure no one else has to go through what he did. If that wasn't enough to light a fire in him, then hearing of Zabuza's presence where someone he holds precious is would do it," added Iruka as he separated himself from Kaiza. Kaiza stood there and reflected on what Iruka had told him.

At the same time the Captain watched the duo as he calmly guided the ship through the water. He had heard is fair share of sob stories, and knew when not to interrupt anything. Besides, every Captain looked for gossip to spread as they sat in a bar drinking their profits away. He was sure if he listened long enough he could get more then a few good tales from Iruka and the other Leaf Shinobi on board.

"Isn't having a rough life just part of being a Ninja though and living in a ninja village," asked Kaiza as he continued to remain confused.

Iruka sighed at the man but he could understand his behavior. Most people always found Shinobi to me men or women of mystery. The stories told about them probably made them seem like blood thirsty killing machine to the uneducated people of the world. Those who actually got to meet real live Shinobi often had mixed feelings about the men for hire. It often depended upon which group of Shinobi they were exposed to. Battle hardened Shinobi had a way of confirming the stories, while Genin had a way of shocking people that came from outside of the Shinobi villages.

"It may be the life we lead, but often enough some of us have a harsher life then others; Naruto is one of them. I can't say much else about him without breaking several laws created for his safety but know this. To protect those he cares for Naruto would fight to his last breath. He would continue fighting even if it meant using his chin to crawl his way to you to bite your ankles," said Iruka.

The way he delivered the final statement left no room for questions. Kaiza could try to ask questions of course, but that didn't mean he was ever going to get an answer from the man.

"Captain how long until we reach land," asked Iruka before Kaiza had a chance to think too deeply about the things they had just discussed.

The Captain looked up to the mast and the torn sail flapping from the middle mast. They had taken some damage in the last fight, and because of that it was slowing the ship down some. The few holes in the hull were a cause for concern as well, and would also help to dictate how soon they could finally make it to land.

"If we keep the wind at our backs we could be there within the next twelve hours. That is of course considering the sea stays on our side and we don't run into any more trouble," answered the Captain finally as he let out a heavy sigh. His once beautiful ship was going to be in dry dock for weeks after this mission.

"That's good I suppose. Hopefully we have a chance to rest and perform what ever repairs we can while here at sea. From the way the weather feels we should be safe for the time being. We may catch a nice wind though around mid-day," mused Iruka aloud.

"You know I had the pleasure of working with your parents once," said the Captain suddenly, causing Iruka to snap his head towards the battered man.

"They were amazing Shinobi and it was an honor just being on the same ship as them. They made a name for themselves during the war with Iwa, and the Trade War with Kiri. Their mastery of Suiton techniques and their ability to fight at Sea even earned them the respect of the deadliest men of Kiri," continued the Captain as he looked up in the sky with a far away look on his face.

"After I had heard of what befell Konoha, I thought the clan of the Sea had been destroyed. Imagine my reaction when I find out that a dolphin was going to accompany this little ship to Wave country," added the Captain as he laughed and looked down to Iruka.

The two locked eyes and a sense of admiration and respect was exchanged in the brief glance that the two shared. The Chunin respected the scarred Captain because the Captain still respected his parents. It may not have been much but to those who honored the brave men and women who sailed the seas it meant the world.

"Captain we got trouble coming our way," yelled a man in the crow's nest. The serene atmosphere was broken by that yell as men scrambled to the sides of the ship and looked to where the man was pointing.

Through a telescope he retrieved from his pocket the Captain looked out ahead of the ship to see what the look out had spotted. What he saw though was not to his liking.

"By the gods of the sea how many ships does that bastard own," cursed the Captain as more of Gatoh's ship came into sight.

There was no chance the damaged vessel would be able to fight her way through the new arrivals. On top of that any chance of out running them or just plain evading them was smashed to shards because of the current state of the ship.

Of course they could try to turn back towards the main continent of Fire Country. The only problem with that is this stretch of Fire Country coast was nothing but cliffs. That alone wasn't an attractive offer since it meant they would be trapped between a rock and a hard place, literally. There might be a chance that they could run across friendly Konoha patrols, but would it be worth the risk of running aground or sinking the ship?

Another option was to head out to the open sea.

There they would throw themselves on the mercy of the sea and pray the weather didn't suddenly change. Of course they would also have to worry about the whirlpools that would occasionally pop up in this part of the ocean. Either way though it didn't offer them much in the way of protection or safety; if anything it would be signing their own death certificate in blood while waiting to be set upon by their enemies.

"Blast it all, just when we looked to be in the clear more of those bilge rats had to come around the bend. There isn't much we can do except try to fight our way through and pray for the best. Turning back isn't an option for us; we just aren't in shape to run from any more ships," muttered the Captain as he turned from the railing and made his way to the wheel house while shouting orders.

By now Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi had all appeared on the deck once again and were hurrying over to the Captain. They could hear the crew yelling about what they were about to do. Their fear though was for Kaiza and the materials that they were supposed to guard. Heading straight on into the enemy wasn't going to help them in their job, only makes it ten times more difficult.

"I know what you are going to say, but it can't be helped. This is the only chance we have of making it through to Wave Country. We are damaged and slower then normal. Then would be no chance for us to out run these ships. Just by looking at their mast and hull set up I could tell they are built for speed. We can only hope to damage their sails before they get too many good shots on us," said the Captain just as Kakashi was about to say something.

The entire time he talked though he never took his eyes off the one thing that could possibly save them. Their savior was already slowly making his way to the bow of the ship. He watched as the brown-haired Shinobi squeezed the wound on his chest and coated his hand in blood. At the same time he seemed to be popping small gumball like objects in his mouth.

Kakashi felt the sudden jump in chakra as the Captain watched Iruka eat the soldier pills. It seemed that Sakura and Sasuke had felt it as well since they both turned towards the source of the chakra.

"Iruka what the hell do you think you're doing," questioned Kakashi as the man jumped onto the railing.

"Iruka-sensei you shouldn't fight this time, your wounds will only become worst," stated Sakura as her medic mindset kicked in.

Sasuke just stood there watching the man as he seemed to stand there deep in thought about something.

"Kakashi, you do know out here on the ocean I outrank you, right," asked Iruka with a hint of mischief in his voice.

Not many knew or remembered the role the Umino clan played in the Land of Fire's Navy. After the more famous members of the clan died in the Kyubi attack, most had completely forgotten about their exploits. So it wasn't surprising that someone like Kakashi would forget something like this.

"I know how to fight on the seas. My first steps were on a ship being tossed in one of the worst typhoons in our country's history. Most of all though I am the only one who could get us through this alive. So just trust me, and do as I say," said Iruka as he turned his head just enough to see Kakashi out of his right eye.

Kakashi was taken back slightly from the kind yet commanding tone Iruka had taken on, and with a quick glance at the two Genin, he could tell they were just as surprised. Deciding now wasn't the time to argue about who was in charge and who wasn't; Kakashi just nodded his head dumbly as he watched the Chunin smile back at him.

"Good, then I want you, Sasuke, Sakura, and everyone else to stay away from the side of the ship. Also, try not to use any exploding tags in the upcoming fight" ordered Iruka once again.

Once Iruka noticed that they were done he once again coated his hand in blood before doing something that caused Kakashi's eyes to bugle out in disbelief.

'_Boar, dog, rooster, monkey, sheep,'_ thought Iruka as his hands flashed through the signs before he jumped off the boat and into the water. Sakura ran to the front of the ship screaming out the name of her teacher, and could barely hear him yell out, _**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu"**_ before he splashed into the water.

No one knew what to expect when a large spout of water broke the surface of the sea. What surprised people even more though was the cry that came from within the water and reverberated up through the ship and to the bones of everyone on board.

"Hold on tight lads! The Umino clan Legacy is coming to the surface once again," yelled the Captain with a smile on his face.

The ones who by the rails of the ship yelled out as a massive shadows appeared in the water around the _Isamu_ and in front of it. Some cried out as columns of water shot up and soaked the ship, and forced the men and Sakura away from the edge of the ship.

None of them could believe their eyes when they saw Iruka break through the surface of the sea standing with a smile on his face. Most were confused though since they couldn't tell what he was standing on, and how he was starting to pull away from the ship. All they knew and seemed to care about though was the fact that the shadows surrounding the _Isamu_ were friendly, and could be seen moving away from the ships and towards the opposing vessels.

Kakashi spun around and looked to the Captain who seemed to be laughing like a maniac as the shadows swim past his ship. To him and anyone else paying attention it was obvious that the man knew what was going on.

"Captain Takeshi would you mind telling me what the hell is going on," demanded the normally calm Jonin as he jumped up to the wheel house and the seemingly hysteric man.

The Captain just looked at Kakashi, smiled, and broke out laughing again. It seemed as if the man would just continue laughing at the silver haired man. If Kaiza, Sakura, and Sasuke hadn't come running up he might have just done that.

"That my friend was one of the few things that made the Land of Fire's Navy feared," stated the Captain with a wild smile on his face again.

"We don't even have a navy, how could it make them feared," snapped Sasuke as he thought about what his Academy teacher kept hidden from everyone.

'_Why the hell does everyone have something to hide,'_ growled Sasuke internally.

"We used to have one Sasuke-kun, but the attack from Kyubi left the Navy in shambles. Since then we haven't been able to build it up to the strength it was at twelve or fifteen years ago," answered Sakura as she went into book worm mode and started to search through the library she called a brain.

"Sakura is right; we once had a great Navy that could rival those of Kumo and Kiri. I had almost forgotten the key thing that made our navy feared though. After hearing the Captain talk and seeing Iruka in action, I now remember who helped to make the navy what it was," added Kakashi.

"That's right! The Umino clan was a true clan of the sea. Most of them were wiped out when the demon Kyubi came to the Land of Fire, and they fought him to their bitter end out on the ocean. Most of us captains believed them to be gone, and I would have continued to believe that if I hadn't seen your Chunin friend," continued Takeshi as he started to turn the rudder and change the direction of the ship.

"That still doesn't answer what the hell just happened," snapped Sasuke, growing impatient with the history lesson of a Clan that he had never heard of before.

"I think Iruka-sensei just summoned several large summons. What he ended up summoning though I'm not sure since I've never studied the animals of the sea or anything," answered Sakura before turning to Kakashi for an answer. To her surprise, and the surprise of the other Shinobi present, it wasn't Kakashi that answered the question.

"He summoned creatures known as whales. They are animals who breathe air and live out at sea. Some can be as large as this ship, but despite their size they are often seen as gentle giants. If you are a fisherman and you see a whale you know to avoid the area since the fish won't last long in the area. Not to mention you don't want to get one of them trapped in your nets," said Kaiza as he moved beside the Captain to look in the distance.

"Is that why he told us not to us the exploding tags and stuff in this fight?" asked Sakura as she turned to look where all the others had turned their attention to.

"Correct Sakura-san. The whales are said to use something known as echo location to navigate, and the explosions might interfere with that," answered Kaiza as he watched Iruka move closer to the approaching ships.

"So what do we do now," asked Sasuke as the silence got on his nerves.

"We do nothing lad. We sit and watch as the drama unfolds before us and the sea opens for us to pass," was all Captain Takeshi had to say on the subject.

* * *

_**Rin**_

Rin finally came to a stop at the small pier that led to the home of Tazuna. Even though she had seen him with her own eyes, she could hardly believe what she had just witnessed. Most of all though she wasn't sure how Motoko would take the news of her son's arrival and how he looked.

'_Sure, we knew he had blonde hair and all when he was born, but I never would have imagine that he would look so much like Sensei,'_ thought Rin as she tried to calm herself before heading in.

It was the way Naruto had fought and ruthlessly beaten Gatoh's men that caught her by surprise the most. There were people who were unbelievable in Taijutsu within their first year of graduating from the Academy, an eyesore she once knew by the name of Maito Gai was a perfect example, to see Naruto handle himself the way he did was…

'_Unnerving. Even when they kicked him into the garbage he didn't seem bothered by it. If I read his face right, it seemed more like he was annoyed by it happening to him. It almost seemed like it may have been done to him before,'_ thought Rin as she slowly made her way to the house, finally catching her breath and wiping away any sign of tears.

The more she thought about him being knocked into the garbage, the more she understood why her Sensei had told her to take Motoko and leave. No matter what he may have wished, the people of the village would probably never see Naruto as Naruto.

The same thing happened after the war with Iwa had ended, and Rin had witnessed that atrocity first hand.

'_The girl was just a child, and was obviously just trying to help the wounded men. Those bastards though that found her did despicable things to her… Things that Sensei made sure they paid for.'_

A young Iwa Chunin, more then likely she was just promoted, was seen helping wounded citizens from Konoha who had been attacked by bandits along the border. She was fixing their wounds when a Konoha patrol had showed up and took out some pent up aggression on the poor girl.

Not long after that patrol had left with her, Rin, Kakashi, and their Sensei had showed up and heard of what happened. From there it didn't take Kakashi and his Ninken very long to find the men and uncover what they had done to the girl who was no older then Rin at the time.

'_Kami. I hope Naruto-kun didn't go through anything like that.'_

Shaking away her now racing thoughts she paused once again outside of the home to calm her nerves before finally walking in to the smell of a hot meal being prepared.

"Welcome back," greeted Tsunami from the kitchen.

Inari, Tazuna and Kiba each greeted her with a slight wave or muffled greeting as they went back to Kiba telling some story about his time in the Academy. From what she could tell it had something to do with a prank he pulled; painting the Hokage Monument.

'_That no good runt desecrating the mountain like that! I hope they strung him up by his toe nails and let him hang there for days,'_ fumed Rin as she continued on past them and started up the stairs.

It didn't take her long to get to where Motoko and the other members and Team 8 were conversing. She only paused long enough to knock briefly on the door before entering the room and taking a seat beside Motoko.

"You're back early from your patrol of the village Rin," commented Motoko as she looked at her friend, and more then likely a person she would consider a daughter.

Rin nodded her head briefly, still wondering how she should break the news of Naruto and his deeds in the village that day. The only thing she knew for sure was that the second Motoko found out Naruto was there she would likely make a run for the village in an attempt to meet up with her son.

"Hai Motoko-sama. The village was strangely quiet today," answered Rin as she tried to keep things as vague as possible.

Of course the village was quiet. After what Naruto had done most of Gatoh's men in the village would be going after him. Not to mention the constant patrols and attacks performed by her and Motoko meant that Gatoh and his men was a little more hesitant to enter the village without Shinobi to protect them.

To be honest though, the only place they mainly left alone was the village that was linked with Tazuna. They still held an iron grip on the other villages that made up the Land of Waves. That was part of the reason Rin had ventured to another one of the small island villages to check on the people of that village.

Motoko just looked at Rin for several seconds before nodding her head in acceptance and turning back to their guests. She had been questioning them, mainly Shino, about Naruto and how he had been doing. The main reason of course was because it seemed that Shino knew more about Naruto then the other two seemed to know. Mainly Shino knew about the Kyubi.

Needless to say though she was more then eager to get back to Konoha and make a few heads roll. Before that though she had to handle the dogs that Rin had said was constantly biting at their heels.

"I'm glad to hear that Naruto-kun got his act together in time for graduation. Still though, it is a shame you two couldn't have been on the same team," said Motoko to Hinata, after having heard about Naruto's reaction to how the teams were made.

"Hai, it is a shame. Still though, I can't help but think it was for the better. I don't doubt that we would have made a good team, but this gives us a chance to grow stronger in more then one way," added Hinata while smiling gently.

"You speak the truth Hinata-san," added Shino as he adjusted his glasses.

"Had you been on the same team, one or both of you could have developed a dependence on the other. If one of you were hurt it is very possible that the other might behave irrationally and caused more problems for the team as well," added the Aburame once again.

Of course though the dark-haired youth didn't add that it may have already happened; even though they weren't on the same team. That though seemed to be linked more towards the possible presence of Motoko, Rin, and of course Zabuza.

'_Zabuza… A man that caused Naruto great harm, and yet he also ended up causing a great deal of pleasure for Naruto-san. If it had not been for him then he may have never gained his voice back or come across Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama. Still though I think the main source of Naruto-san's current anger is more then likely linked to Zabuza and the fear Naruto-san has. The fear that Zabuza will once again try to take away something precious to him,'_ thought Shino as he with held the information from his teammate.

He had no doubt that Hinata would more then likely feel responsible for what ever burden Naruto might be under now.

Hinata only nodded in acceptance at her friend's words. She had grown used to the way Shino talked and acted and could tell there was something he didn't want to say. What it was she could only guess, and was sure he was leaving it out so she wouldn't feel too bad.

"Hinata-san, Kurenai-san, would you two mind helping Tsunami downstairs with dinner? One my way up I could tell she wasn't getting much help from Kiba, Tazuna and Inari. Kiba was keeping the other two busy with some story about how he painted the Hokage Mountain," cut in Rin in an attempt to get the two women to leave the room so she could speak with Shino and Motoko privately.

The reactions to her words were rather humorous though. Shino cocked an eyebrow and looked at Rin questionably. Hinata seemed to be scowling at Rin, as much as she could at least. Even Kurenai seemed to be put out by the news Rin had brought up.

"I can't believe he would dare try to take credit for something he had no part in," snapped Kurenai before she stood up and started to make her way down stairs.

Hinata looked torn between going down and staying to speak more with Motoko and the others. Her choice was made though when Motoko nodded her head to the young Hyuga. That was all it took for the girl to jump up from her seat and make her way down the stairs and just in time to hear Kiba complaining to Kurenai about his ear. Shortly after that they could hear Kurenai yelling at Kiba to make himself useful and to go gather fire wood.

"I wonder what that was all about," questioned Motoko as she looked towards Shino.

"Kiba-san was taking credit for the actions of another person when you walked in. Kurenai-sensei dislikes him lying to others, and dislikes when he tries to take credit for what others have done. Hinata-san was upset because of the fact that Kiba-san was taking credit for one of Naruto-san's pranks," answered Shino after once again fixing his glasses and coughing to clear his throat.

Rin look mortified at the thought of Naruto being the culprit behind the prank that she was just condemning. Naruto, the son of two people she respected the most had painted the Hokage's monument.

Motoko though just smiled at the idea of her son committing the act of vandalism, and could only imagine her son following in the footsteps of his father. It wasn't like Rin knew of the childhood of Arashi or anything. What she did know of her Sensei's childhood could probably be summed up in a simple paragraph.

"Now Rin, would you mind telling me why you had them leave the room," asked Motoko suddenly as her face turned from care free to dead serious.

Rin had to gulp as the red eyes of her former patient started to drill into her. It was something that the woman had been very good at, getting people to crack by just glaring at them. The anger that she could lace her glares with at times was enough to get most people to talk, and was one of the reasons a certain Special Jonin in Konoha had always worked with her in interrogations.

"I…" said Rin before she stopped and tried to calm the nerves that Motoko had set on fire.

"I think I saw Naruto-kun in on one of the islands east of here while I was checking on Gatoh's men," rushed the woman finally as she bowed her head.

When she didn't hear anything she looked back up towards her former charge and could only see the small nod of Motoko's head asking her to continue with what ever she had to say. It did leave Rin slightly stunned that the woman didn't jump right up and try to charge off to see her son. Then again though people like her didn't gain the reputation they had by being impulsive.

"When I saw him he was walking through one of the towns that were closer inland. He seemed slightly angry with the way things were. While he was looking around he ran into two of Gatoh's top men and they knocked him into the garbage along the street," added Rin as she related the event to the other two Shinobi.

The reactions she got at this news confused her slightly. Shino just smiled at the information and seemed to actually be laughing slightly at what she had just said. It was one of the few emotions she had actually seen him endorse without having to read his body.

Motoko on the other hand seemed to be showing more of her maternal instincts then she did before. Even though she had been told about Naruto's exploits and that he had been trained since he had moved in with Anko, she was showing a side of herself that had only appeared at some of the darker aspects of Naruto's tale.

"They didn't do much to him, just roughed him up. They thought he would be like everyone else, and I guess for good reason since he didn't have any of his Shinobi gear on him. After he got up though he asked them something you probably would have asked Motoko-sama," said Rin before Motoko could act out on her emotions. The tactic seemed to work since the purple-haired woman calmed down and looked at Rin.

"He asked them a simple question, "How about I teach you how to summon a rabbit out of your ass?" and then proceeded to send them flying down the street. I didn't see much more after that, but it seemed like more of Gatoh's men came and little Naruto went about proving he wasn't quite so little," finished Rin finally.

By now it looked like Shino was close to breaking out into full blown laughter. His body was shaking and he constantly had to hold his glasses up on his nose. It was a change from what they had seen of the boy during his brief stay, and went against what both knew about the Aburame clan.

Motoko seemed close to doing the same, but managed to keep a lid on her laughter better then Shino. The most prominent feature though was the small whimsical smile that now seemed to grace her face as she thought about her son.

"Thank you Rin, and for future purposes you don't have to be so nervous. After finally waking up from the coma and all the trouble I put you through, I could never be angry with you. If anything I should be calling you Rin-sama until I've paid off the debt that I owe you," said Motoko as she moved over to wrap Rin in a hug.

"If it wasn't for you I wouldn't even have been able to help Tazuna, Tsunami, Kaiza and Inari. It's only because of your experimental use of lightning nature chakra and medical jutsu that I didn't suffer too much muscular dystrophy. So please be more open with me and feel free to tell me anything, even if you think I might be angry," added the woman as she pulled away to look Rin in the eyes.

Rin could only nod at the request. She also couldn't help but laugh when she was told that if asking wasn't enough, then it was an order.

"Thank you, and I promise I'll try to work on it," said Rin finally as she tried to hide her fresh tears from Motoko and Rin.

Before anything else could be said though footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. The sound was soon replaced by Kiba's face and a rather red ear as he poked his head into the room.

"Kurenai-sensei wanted me to let you know dinner is ready, and afterwards Shino she said she wanted us to train some before we turn in," was all the Inuzuka said before ducking out of the room and mumbling about his ear.

"I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting. Try to be sure not to say anything about Naruto-kun around Hinata-chan. It might upset her or cause some problems for her during this mission," said Motoko as she stood up and helped Rin to her feet.

"We may not need to worry too much about Naruto-san right now. If things are bad all over this country then it is likely he will try to correct the problems there, and trust in us to handle things here," commented Shino while standing and moving to the door.

"Are you sure about that Shino," questioned Rin as she moved to follow him.

"He has advanced senses and would know that we got away safely. As much as he would like to meet up with us and more then likely Motoko-sama, he will put his desires on hold to help others. It was something he has done frequently in his past, putting his own body on the line to ensure others are safe, even if he would prefer not to," was all the Aburame said before leaving the room.

Rin had moved to follow the Genin and paused briefly upon reaching the door to look back at Motoko who was still standing still. This time though her face was set in a stony resolve as she turned her head to look out the window.

"He really grew up to be a lot like Arashi Rin and he only found out about me and Arashi a couple of years ago. I guess Anko and Ibiki did a great job at raising him," said the woman solemnly as she continued to look out the window.

"Rin, I want to finish things here as fast as we can so that I can go meet my little Naruto. No more playing around with these lowlife bastards. If we need to kill them then so be it. The next time we come across Zabuza though he won't be leaving the fight," declared the woman as her head snapped back to look Rin in the eyes with her own burning red eyes.

"Let that bastard Danzo sends hi _Ne_ group after me again and see what happens. I dare that estranged uncle of mine to send his own Shinobi after me as well. Nothing will stop me from getting to Konoha or seeing my boy."

Rin could only nod absently as she shivered at the declaration of her mentor and former charge. The conviction and anger behind the words showed that she meant every word of what she had just said. She would fight through hell and high water, even battle the Kyubi again just to get to Konoha and her baby boy.

All Rin could do in response was nod her head before she was being led downstairs by the woman and they sat down to a warm meal.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

As the morning broke on his third day in the Land of Waves, Naruto could be found outside of Hikari's cave stretching and doing various exercises. After his fight with Gatoh's men in the village that he had first visited he had decided to do what he could to take out all of Gatoh's men. All of this was in hopes of eventually getting to Gatoh himself and bringing him down.

This course of action though was one that Hikari was against.

'_I don't care Nee-chan, Gatoh needs to pay,'_ thought Naruto as he and Hikari once again started to argue over his course of action.

"_**Don't be an idiot! You need to meet up with the others. There is no chance you could do this on your own Naruto! Don't you think Sandaime and Tsunade would have went ahead and sent your team here with Kaiza. You need to meet up with your team and stop this foolishness,"**_ demanded Hikari as she stomped her foot within his mindscape.

As most brothers and sisters they didn't always see eye to eye. In this case though it was a passionate brother versus a more realistic and far older sister. Both of them were equally as stubborn as the other though and neither wanted to back down, no matter how true the other's words might have been.

After he had fought off Gatoh's small gang in the village, he had quickly tied them up as best as he could and tried to rouse the villagers to fight. He tried to remind them of what it was like to live without fear, and told them that aide was coming from Konoha. He tried telling them that others in their small country were already fighting against the Tyranny of Gatoh.

His words though seemed to fall on deaf ears as everyone stayed in their homes. Gatoh's men only laughed at the boy and his attempts to start a revolution. They continued to ridicule him and tell him that the people in the village were broken. They had given up all hope and wouldn't fight back, regardless of what was done. To someone who had fought his entire life, such a thing was unthinkable.

That though was nearly the entire reason why he was going to fight for them. Why he would risk his life for them. Most of all though, it was the reason why he wanted to give them a reason to fight, and leave the shadow of fear Gatoh had cast over them.

He had nearly finished his morning exercises when he picked up the sound of someone moving through the woods. Halting, and hiding he listened in to see who or what it might be.

As he stretched his senses out, he could pick up the shuffling of feet. The way the person moved seemed to denote that they were possibly injured or elderly to Naruto. The slow pace that the person held only seemed to reinforce that assumption.

Even with this observation he stayed hidden and decided to keep his guard up. Having seen the Sandaime fight Jiraiya in a training match had made him understand that age didn't always mean an easy fight. If anything it only helped to hide the skill of a seasoned warrior. Minutes later though Naruto was slightly surprised to see a man nearly as tall as Ibiki come out of the forest surrounding the cave.

The man had long silver hair, with a hint of blue that reminded Naruto of the sea, which reached the middle of his back. Along with the long hair was a beard of a similar color that nearly reached the ground and left Naruto amazed at the fact that he hadn't tripped over it.

If the height and hair wasn't enough, then the clothing would shock Naruto just as much. It was the simple fact that the man wore almost regal clothing in a land that was as poor as the Land of Waves that surprised Naruto. The dark blue with silver and crimson trim made the man stand out in the poor country. Add in his large gnarled staff that he seemed to use to help walk, and you have a man out of place.

That was why Naruto had made up his mind not to trust him.

As the man came into the clearing in front of the cave, he slowly sat down on a rock and looked over towards Naruto's hiding place. The minutes ticked away and still neither party said or did anything as they seemed to watch the other.

"You know my dear boy; it isn't polite to stare at people. Why don't you come on out of that cave and talk with an old man," said the old man as he finally broke the silence.

'_Should I go out Nee-chan?'_

"_**There doesn't seem to be anything out of place. I recommend going out though but keep your guard up,"**_ recommended Hikari as she eyed the man from Naruto's mind.

'_**Something about this man seems familiar though, but I just can't place it,'**_ thought the demon as she tried to place the weathered face.

Slowly though Naruto walked out of the cave until he stood in front of the man. It was only when he was finally in front of the man that he could see the silver eyes looking at him intently. They seemed to have focused in on Naruto, and were peering down into the depths of his soul.

"I must say, I'm surprised to find a Shinobi of Konoha out here in the wilderness of this country by himself," said the man as his eyes flickered to headband that was hanging around Naruto's neck.

"I'm even more surprised though that you would be camping around a cave that has been closely linked to demons of lore. Why I remember once hearing a tale of how all who entered that cave have been tormented with grotesque images for the rest of their life. This made several of their kill themselves if they didn't lose their minds first. Of course there are other legends as well, one of which involved a giant fox of fire devouring any trespasser," added the man as he locked eyes with Naruto and smiled grimly.

Naruto though was frozen at hearing the legends of Hikari's cave. It wasn't the things that happened to those who broke in that shocked him, but the fact the man was taking the time to specifically mention these legends to him, and seemed to add emphasis on the part about a fox of fire that got him.

'_How could this man know? If he travels then he probably knows about the history of Konoha and foxes… What else does he know,'_ questioned Naruto now as he tried to stay calm.

'_**No Naruto-kun, it isn't what you think,'**_ countered Hikari internally.

By now though the man was tilting his head up more, enough so for Naruto to get a clear view of the man's face.

'_**That senile old bastard! I'm going to throw him into the coldest ice packs and watch his scaled hide freeze to death,'**_ roared Hikari as she caught a glimpse of silver reptilian eyes and a knowing smile. Naruto though didn't notice anything as the man motioned for him to sit across from him.

"So tell me, what brings you here," asked the man once again once Naruto had settled down well outside of his reach.

"Um, I was looking for my team… We kind of got separated and I decided to camp here last night until I could head out and look for them today," answered Naruto, trying to take care to keep some things secret, while letting some of the truth hide his lie.

"Ah I see. You should be more careful young one. There are men walking this country who are not to be trifled with. I believe one of them hailed from your village as a matter of fact," commented the man while stroking his beard.

This new piece of information did cause Naruto to jerk his head up and look around the clearing. Often enough such declarations were followed up with the person revealing themselves in some sort of ambush. One person would talk to the target to distract them and the other would try to surprise them.

"No need to worry, at least not yet. They are still a day's travel from here, but I don't doubt that once they make it to this part of the country they will be able to sense your rather unique chakra signature," soothed the man as Naruto spun towards him with Kunai in hand.

"How do you know so much," questioned Naruto as he tried to keep from grinding his teeth.

This old man knowing so much and then commenting on Naruto's own unique chakra was causing the boy to grow more then a little anxious with the current situation.

"That doesn't matter right now, what does matter is that you must flee here and join your team. You do have other things just as important as your business here, and should you stay the chances of you accomplishing such goals would be reduced drastically," ordered the man as his voice took on a firmer tone, one that reminded the blond of the Sandaime.

"I can't just leave the people here alone after everything I've done for them already! After what I did yesterday Gatoh or his men are going to come here for payback. If they don't find me they'll take it out on the villagers! I can't let them do that," countered Naruto as he shook off his fear and jumped to his feet.

"_**It may be best to do that Otouto, if what he says is true then the people that come looking for you may be well above your level,"**_ stated Hikari in an attempt to soothe him.

"Listen and listen well young one. The people coming can not be stopped by you, and are likely on par with your Hokage. You don't have a hope of beating them with your current skills, not even the ones you might keep hidden."

The man had by now had narrowed his eyes and seemed to be releasing something similar to killing intent at the boy before him.

"If you are truly worried about the people here then go, go and ensure that the bridge of their dreams is built! Only then will they be free of Gatoh's grasp! Only then will proper aide be capable of reaching them! Gatoh will be going after the bridge builder and those who seek to see it completed. If you truly want to break hiss strangle hold then that is where it must be done.

"If that doesn't ease your mind then perhaps I should inform you of the winds of change. Already attacks on Gatoh's holding in the Land of Fire are being carried out. As we speak store houses, and other fronts for his corrupt businesses are being carried out on the orders of your Hokage. I'm sure your friends are also doing what they can right now to ensure this country is freed," said the man as he started to tower over Naruto now as he stood to his full height.

"It will only be a matter of time before Gatoh catches wind of the operations being hatched to ruin his network of misdeeds. Once he does he will focus all of his might for one final attack to at least ensure those who started his downfall come with him. Now where do you think that might be? He isn't foolish enough to attack a hidden village but…"

Nothing else needed to be said to Naruto after the insinuation made by the withered old man. Naruto knew the people that would be seen as the focal point of this rebellion. It was all the encouragement that he needed to run back into the cave, gather all of his belongings and take off without a second glance at the man. He only had one thing on his mind and that was getting to where he needed to be.

The old man watched Naruto vanish into the trees and could only sigh heavily once the boy was out of sight. He really did wish to talk with the child more and see how his old friend was doing. Those pleasantries would have to wait for another time though.

"My my Hikari, you sure got yourself sealed into a brash one now didn't you. I only hope I can survive this little encounter here long enough to catch up with the one that was the closest thing to a daughter I have had in all my years," mumbled the man as he walked towards the cave.

He had things to prepare for.

'_First though I think I should return the scrolls I borrowed from Hikari-chan,'_ mused the man as he reached into his robe and pulled out several scrolls.

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

Yes, it is rather late, and I can't really defend myself.

This is of course just the first part to the conclusion of the wave arc. There is more to come, but I felt the need to get _something_ out since it had been so long.

A number of things have happened in the manga though, and some I'm not too pleased with. Most of them though will have little effect on how I write this story, and my other story. I will continue with the ideas I have, and if anything only make minor changes.

This means that the names of Naruto's parents will not be the same as they are in the manga. I know I stated this before, and I will more then likely put this note in again in the chapters where I named the Yondaime and his wife.


	17. Crashing Waves Part 2

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

_**Previously**_

Nothing else needed to be said to Naruto after the insinuation made by the withered old man. Naruto knew the people that would be seen as the focal point of this rebellion. It was all the encouragement that he needed to run back into the cave, gather all of his belongings and take off without a second glance at the man. He only had one thing on his mind and that was getting to where he needed to be.

The old man watched Naruto vanish into the trees and could only sigh heavily once the boy was out of sight. He really did wish to talk with the child more and see how his old friend was doing. Those pleasantries would have to wait for another time though.

"My my Hikari, you sure got yourself sealed into a brash one now didn't you. I only hope I can survive this little encounter here long enough to catch up with the one that was the closest thing to a daughter I have had in all my years," mumbled the man as he walked towards the cave.

He had things to prepare for.

'_First though I think I should return the scrolls I borrowed from Hikari-chan,'_ mused the man as he reached into his robe and pulled out several scrolls.

* * *

_**Crashing Waves, Part 2**_

"I don't care what it takes; I want you to gather everyone up. I pay those fools more then enough money and yet they couldn't even stop one pathetic cargo ship from making it here," screamed a balding man as he stomped through his mansion.

One of the men with him was sporting a severely blackened eye, and walking with a severe limp. He could only grunt in agreement with his boss to limit the amount of pain that he was currently in.

"As for you two pathetic excuses for samurai, I want to know how the hell ONE KID managed to do what he did! I don't want to have to call in more ninja to handle matters," yelled Gatoh as he rounded on his mean and pointed at them with his cane.

"This wasn't just some kid though boss! He was a freak of nature. It was like he was some demon or something," counter a man with an eye patch over his eye, and several scars on his chest.

"I don't want excuses, I want solutions! Now either solve the problem or be prepared to follow the others who have failed me," sneered Gatoh as he turned and continued walking out of his mansion.

"Also find out why the hell those bastards from Akatsuki are now snooping around my country," yelled the man as he moved out of sight.

The two men just looked at each other as they went over their boss' orders.

"We're dead aren't we?"

"With Konoha and Akatsuki here… I should have listened to my mom and been a bandit on the mainland or at least a successful pig farmer."

"We might as well be pig farmers with the things we have to do for Gatoh," countered the man with the limp and black eye.

"I guess… Though Gatoh is probably worth more a live then he is dead," added the scarred man.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

After leaving the cave it didn't take Naruto long to leave the small island and make it to the next small island. If there was one good thing about the Land of Waves, it was the fact that it was mainly built of small islands. Because of this travel between the different villages would normally be rather easy. The only thing stopping the civilian populace from moving freely were Gatoh's men.

That though was a minor nuisance to Naruto.

'_I can't believe these idiots never thought of coming up with some sort of communication relay for something like this. If one place was under attack they should at least be able to call for help from one of the other outposts,'_ thought Naruto as he knocked the last bandit out and continued on his way to his destination.

"_**They don't often think about such things since normally a show of might is enough to deter most people. They just had the unfortunate luck of running into a Shinobi on a mission this time,"**_ answered Hikari as she tried to keep from being overwhelmed by Naruto's raging emotions.

'_Still, for a businessman like Gatoh, you would think he'd have thought about it.'_

"_**Being rich and successful doesn't always make a person smart. If anything it has the tendency to cloud their judgment,"**_ countered Hikari while shaking a finger in disapproval of his idea.

'_I suppose you are right, and that is why Aniki manages all of my money,'_ thought Naruto as he remembered how closely Ibiki watched over Naruto's finances.

When Ibiki saw the things Naruto had cooked up, he had no problem with them selling them. It would only help the little family just in case something ever happened to Ibiki or Anko. In the worst-case scenario, it would give Naruto something to live on if anything had ever happened to both of his siblings.

Those thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind though as he arrived at his destination.

'_Kaa-san I'm here,'_ thought the Genin as he over looked the small village she currently resided in.

* * *

_**Team 7**_

"Well you got us through Iruka," said Kakashi as he smiled down at the Chunin.

Iruka was once again being tended to by Sakura for his various injuries he had gained from his latest battle with Gatoh's men. They weren't that serious, but as all things related to the body they still needed to be checked out. So it was with great reluctance that he once again let Sakura check him over while fighting to stay awake.

"Next time though Iruka you may want to try to conserve your chakra and not summon so many animals at once," added Kakashi with an eye smile down at the Chunin.

"Bite me Kakashi, this is the first time in years that I've been able to summon them. I suppose though I should have summoned one particular one that could have destroyed all the ships by herself. That is of course if she is still around," countered Iruka while cringing as Sakura poked his tender ribs.

"Sorry sensei, but you have a couple of bruised ribs and one cracked rib. Unless we really need you, you are out of commission for the rest of the mission," said Sakura as the light around her hands died down.

"If we can meet up with Hinata she might be able to heal them for you, but the best I can do right now is patch you up enough to move around with out aggravating them. I don't trust myself right now since I'm low on chakra, and I want her to make sure I didn't miss anything," added the girl as she stood up while frowning slightly.

Iruka smiled back up at his former student and smiled. She had worked hard to get where she was, and he could understand some of her disappointment. While she was good at Medical jutsu there were still some things that she was hesitant to do. Mainly it dealt with the more serious internal injuries, but now it mainly seemed to be a shortage of chakra.

"Its fine Sakura, you've done more then enough already. Thanks to you, nearly the entire crew made it through this. If you hadn't of been here who knows what might have happened to us or them," answered Iruka while smiling kindly at the pink-haired girl.

"Regardless though, it's only because of you that we made it through that blockade. Hopefully that is the last of them and the rest of the way will be smooth sailing," stated Kaiza as he came walking up to the group of Shinobi.

All the Konoha-nin could do was nod in agreement though as the crew came back to life and started to clear the deck of debris. It had been a long day for everyone and would only be longer for the crew because of the state of the ship.

Even though the _Isamu_ stayed out of most of the battle, it still took a few hits from the crews of Gatoh's blockade as they were sinking into the depths of the ocean. Their main concern though was changing the main sail and trying to repair the mast. The holes in the hull were easily repaired by the men of the ship.

"Kaiza is right; you four should get some rest and leave everything else to us. The wind has changed so we should be at the docks in the next few hours," added the Captain as he came walking up to the small group.

"Haha, I think for once I'll take you up on that offer Captain," said Iruka as Sakura started to help him up from the deck.

"You two go ahead and rest up. Sasuke and I will stay here and keep watch until we reach the docks. Both of you have done more then enough on this mission," added Kakashi as he smiled through his mask at the Chunin and his student.

'_Damn it, I wanted to get something to eat and see if Sakura could do something about this sea sickness,'_ cursed Sasuke as he watched the pair vanish below deck.

"Well then you two, how about one of you take up watch in the nest and keep an eye out for land. The other can help with clean up and repairs," said the Captain.

Sasuke was just about to turn towards Kakashi when he felt a rush of air. By the time he turned to where Kakashi was standing the man was already gone. Scowling, Sasuke turned to where the crow's nest was and noticed the one-eyed Jonin standing there waving down at him.

"Haha, it seems you get stuck with cleanup duty boy," exclaimed the Captain as he walked away laughing.

As the next few hours passed, Iruka and Sakura spent time down below decks resting up. For Sakura that meant sitting around and occasionally checking on her patients. For Iruka it was staying in bed and being tended to by Sakura every now and then, mainly to change his bandages.

Sasuke spent most of his time moving supplies from below deck to the deck. It included, but wasn't limited to large steel bands, large nails, planks of wood, canvas, ropes, and of course pulleys.

By the time he had brought up the last, and very heavy, pulley he was already nearing his limit. The constant rocking motion, heavy weight, and the speed of his movements only helped to increase the nausea that had been building up within him. So it wasn't a surprise to many when he ran for the railing and started to empty his stomach.

That though didn't mean the crew of the ship couldn't share a laugh at his expense.

Kakashi had stayed up in the crow's nest reading his little book during this time. His ability to multitask was mistaken by some of the crew who had to voice their opinion on his ability to act as look out.

Of course, those few were silenced when he casually pointed out their location, clothing, eye color, hair color, and a number of other items that a man with his nose in a book shouldn't be able to see. Even when he was asked the number of birds flying by he would rattle off the correct number and dumbfound the crew.

To some it became like a little game, stump the Shinobi.

All of this ended though the minute Kakashi whistled down to the deck to gain the attention of its occupants.

"Yo, Captain. I believe the term you often use is, "Land ho!"" said Kakashi as he pointed in the direction they were heading.

Smiling, the Captain nodded as he looked down the length of the ship and saw the harbor slowly coming into view.

"That it is Kakashi that it is. Alright men prepare to dock and tie us up. Let the Ninja off first to make sure everything is safe though, and then follow them once they give the all clear," yelled the Captain once again.

The ship exploded in a flurry of motion as the deck hands started running about and prepared to dock. Their thundering footsteps on the deck ended up causing the ones below deck to worry about the safety of the ship. So of course Iruka and Sakura made their way to the deck to see what had caused the noise.

"Ah you two are just in time. We are about to dock and the Captain wants to make sure everything is safe before sending his men down to tie us up," greeted Kaiza as he stopped running and moved towards the duo.

"That's great Sensei! Now we can get your ribs checked out and fixed properly," cheered Sakura. Iruka had to wince as the girl that was helping him stand tried to jump up and down in her excitement.

'_Gah! Sakura I really wished you had at least become less excitable,'_ groaned Iruka as he tried to keep the girl from noticing.

Soon though they were at the bow of the ship and looking towards land. The minutes slowly ticked away for the group as the fog bank started to lift. As the fog lifted, they could make out the blurry shadows of people flitting about the dock. Minutes later they could see the makes out the forms of men running along the dock and preparing for the incoming ship.

"Sasuke, let's jump to the dock and scout things out," ordered Kakashi as he appeared behind the youth and then jumped over the railing and landed on the dock. Sasuke was just landing behind his Sensei when he heard the sound of a small dog barking in excitement.

"Hey Sasuke I'm surprised you guys came all the way out here," shouted a voice from further up the dock.

Soon though Sasuke could see the owner of the voice, Kiba, walking down the dock towards where the _Isamu_ was now being moored. The Uchiha nodded to the Inuzuka as he started to survey the docks.

'_Everything looks fine here, though Kakashi-sensei doesn't seem too happy about the Captain signaling the go ahead to dock,'_ thought Sasuke as he looked at what could only be a scowl under Kakashi's mask.

Minutes later the gangplank was being lowered down into place and Iruka and Sakura were making their way down behind the Captain and Kaiza. Sasuke was soon joined by Kakashi and Kiba who seemed to be pouting now as well as he saw the rest of team 7.

"Man what the hell did you guys do, fight an army," asked Kiba as Iruka limped off the plank and soon the wounded crewmembers were being taken off the ship.

"Close enough Kiba; we had too fight through several other ships just to make it here," answered Sakura as she left Iruka by some crates and moved to help monitor the wounded being off loaded.

"Tch, how hard could it be to fight on the ocean? We have to fight a crazy dude who nearly killed us. Hinata-chan nearly had him at one point but then he snapped and just started kicking all of our asses," countered Kiba.

Akamaru whined slightly as he remembered that fight, and Kiba could help but hold his ribs as a phantom pain raced through his body.

"Is Hinata alright," asked Iruka who was now close to a panic attack at the new information.

The Konoha Shinobi on the dock looked at Iruka confused at the question. They knew the man was a caring person, so the question itself didn't confuse them. What confused them was the fact that he only asked about Hinata, and not the rest of Team 8.

"Huh? Yeah Hinata-chan's okay. This real hot babe came and saved our asses right when Zabuza was about to hack Shino and Hinata. Well I guess Shino using one of those damn flash bangs helped some too," whined the boy.

'_I know that bastard made those just to get at me,'_ growled Kiba as he thought of Naruto's invention.

"That's great… Naruto is going to be relieved," said Iruka as he sighed heavily and started to slide down the crates to sit on the ground.

Hearing the name of the blond Genin, Kiba started looking around for his "rival". After looking around for several seconds he resorted to sniffing the air to see if he could catch the boy's scent. At the same time, Akamaru had jumped out of the jacket and started to sniff around.

"Hey what gives? Did Hokage-sama decide not to send the loser here or something? Too afraid of him drowning if he fell off the boat," asked Kiba finally.

Sasuke just frowned at the question while Kakashi started to look sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. Neither of the two knew where the blond was, or where he might be going. Most of all though they could only guess why he did what he did.

"Don't worry Kiba. If I know Naruto as well as I think I do he'll be here in no time, if he isn't here already," answered Iruka. Before anything else could be said though Akamaru started to bark and looked back up towards the entrance to the dock.

Walking in was the rest of Team 8 along with Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami, and two women that Sasuke had never seen before.

Hinata and the woman with auburn colored hair quickly moved to help Sakura with the wounded. From where Team 7 stood, Sasuke could easily hear Sakura giving a run down of the situation to the two newcomers. From there it didn't take the two much time to jump aboard the ship and move towards the more serious injuries who couldn't be moved.

The other members of the group continued down the dock towards where the remaining members of Team 7 were gathered. It didn't take much though for the woman who could only be Tsunami and the boy who they knew to be Inari to come running up to Kaiza and nearly knock him to the ground.

"I'm so glad you're okay Kaiza-kun. You have no idea how worried we were," greeted Tsunami as she buried her face in his neck. Inari didn't say a thing though as he hugged the man and tried to keep from crying.

"Hey now, I told you I'd be back, and it's all thanks to these great Konoha Shinobi," soothed Kaiza as he returned the hugs from his family.

"I'd have to admit though, these Konoha Shinobi are a piece of work. Even that little meek girl was a fighter when she was pushed up against the wall. I'd have to say you were great in recommending them to us," added Tazuna as he turned to the woman everyone had overlooked. It was only then that Kakashi gave the woman a more serious looked, and had to fight to keep from drooling at what he saw.

The purple hair framing her face, and the penetrating red eyes got his attention right away. Loose fitting shirt and pants that seemed to hang on her hips made her the center of attention for many of the people who were unfamiliar with her. With the wind wiping by and pushing her shirt against her caused more then a few people to fall over.

"Hello Kakashi," greeted the woman as she smiled sweetly at the one-eyed man. Beside her Shino couldn't help but fidget slightly at the sickly sweet tone she had used.

'_Yes, that is the same tone she used with Zabuza,'_ answered Shino as his bugs picked up the chemical change in the woman.

"There isn't any need for that Tazuna, I only did what I thought was right," answered Motoko as she smiled at the old man and then gave a different smile towards Kakashi.

'_Why do I have the feeling that I'm in for a world of pain,'_ thought Kakashi as he shivered under the gaze of the woman.

"Alright, can we get some help up here? Were stabilized these last few cases, but they need to get to a hospital, or at least a safer place for further treatment," yelled Rin as she and Hinata came to the railing.

It was only then that Kakashi was able to see her face, and froze upon seeing the marks that he could only attribute to her. Images of the last time they had seen each other flashed through his mind as he looked upon a person he thought to be dead.

The world was dead to the man as he took in her figure, face, sweat, and every detail he could make out. He never heard Kurenai asking him a question. He never heard Kurenai order Sasuke, Kiba, and Shino to board the ship and help move the wounded.

'_Rin… When I heard Kaiza describe you I wasn't sure if it was true, but now that I see you there is no mistake,'_ thought Kakashi as the woman who occupied his mind came down the gangplank at one end of a litter.

'_Why are you here though? Where have you been all of these years? What made you vanish on the night that Sensei was taken from us? Who is this woman that you've been with, and how long have you known each other,'_ were his thoughts as he now looked at Motoko out of the corner of his eye. Even though he couldn't remember ever seeing her before, there was something about her that struck him as familiar.

"Well Tazuna, I'd say I'd bring you your stuff and here we are. We got banged up along the way but all of your material made it through perfectly fine," stated Captain Takeshi as he moved to stand proudly in front of the bridge builder.

The two gabbed each other's wrist and shook in greeting before finally embracing and giving a hearty pat on the back to the other man. Once the greeting was done, they separated and shared a good laugh together.

"That you did Takeshi that you did. I must say though you made better time then I had hoped, and with what you must have had to fight through I'm surprised you came through as well as you did," greeted Tazuna with a wide smile.

"It's all thanks to our Konoha friends here! They fought long and hard to keep Gatoh's ships away from us. Best of all though we had us a bona fide Dolphin sailing with us! He managed to take on a small fleet all by himself," answered the Captain as he turned to look and nod in Iruka's direction.

Tazuna had been around long enough to know what the Captain meant and was surprised by the words. He had been around long enough to hear the stories, and see parts of the old trade wars that used to happen between Konoha, Kumo, and Kiri.

"You were lucky indeed then, though he looks a little roughed up."

"That is because he used up a great deal of his chakra for the final push through. Give him a few days and he should be back to normal in no time," answered Kakashi as he moved towards the Chunin to help him up and get him to some medical attention. That though was just a cover as he kept eyeing the one person he truly wanted to talk to.

That is how most of the day passed though. The members of Team 7 were taken to Tazuna's house and asked to rest up while Team 8 went back out on guard duty. Captain Takeshi and Kaiza had stayed to supervise the off-loading of supplies, and Tazuna had a bridge to build. The only ones in the small home ended up being Team 7, Iruka, Inari, and Tsunami.

"Ah Tsunami-san I never had the chance to ask but who are those two ladies that have been with your father," questioned Kakashi as he sat in the home's dining room.

"Oh, well the one with the purple hair, her name is Hiita and the younger one is Aussa, "answered mother turned to look over her shoulder as she continued to chop vegetables up and smiled at the Jonin.

Kakashi tried his best to keep a frown from showing through his mask. He had thought something strange was going on, but hearing that the two were going under assumed names only put him on edge even more. He was sure the one named Aussa was Rin, the facial markings, hair, and eye color left little doubt in his mind. The other one he couldn't place, but he could only guess her real name wasn't Hiita.

"Ah, thank you," said Kakashi finally as he leaned back and started to pull out his little orange book to read.

He might have gotten it out had it not been for a knife suddenly landing between his legs, and barely missing something very vital to his existence. While horrified at what nearly happened, he calmly looked up towards the source of the weapon.

The once welcoming red eyes were now burning with hate down towards him. In the hands of the woman was another kitchen knife that was casually being spun around the hand of the menacing woman.

"If you read that book with a child like Inari around I will be sure that you will never enjoy such activities ever again," threatened the woman as she continued looking down at Kakashi from across the room. The only thing the Copy Ninja could do was nod his head and slowly put the book back into the pouch it had come from.

"Hiita-san there isn't any need for that," chided Tsunami gently from the kitchen.

"No, the kind of book he is reading is degrading to women. Not only that, but it shows he doesn't have what it takes to get a real woman since he has to depend on his perverted books," countered Motoko as she glared at Kakashi.

"I understand, but he is a guest in my father's house. Pleas try to be more respectful," stated Tsunami.

Motoko just shook her head briefly before nodding in acceptance of the other woman's words. It wouldn't do to upset their hosts, and knew that the dark haired woman was almost too kind for her own good at times. Therefore, without saying anything else she left the room after handing Tsunami her knife back.

"You'll have to forgive her. She is very protective of us and only wants the best for us. I guess we are lucky that she and Aussa came when they did," said Tsunami while smiling. Without saying anything else she turned around while trying to wipe the tears in her eyes that had started to form.

* * *

_**Shino**_

Aburame Shino had the honor of acting as the guard for the eastern side of the small town that they were now stationed in. If he saw any sign of trouble, he was to observe while sending his bugs for back up. If there wasn't enough time for his bugs to get reinforcements, then he could use a more direct way, and that was by firing a flare into the sky.

That of course was a last resort only used in serious situations; solely because of the fact it would alert the troublemakers of Shino's position.

Still though, he couldn't complain much about his area of town. Mainly a forested area that held a number of interesting bugs, to him at least. With his Kikaichu set up in picket lines, he would be alerted to any of Gatoh's men. His more advanced bugs were set up in the waterways, trees, or underground in case of enemy Shinobi, and of course in case boats were used.

'_Where are you Naruto? You got here long before your team did. Are you truly going to stay and try to protect the one village? That was my first assumption based on the news Rin brought, but I also know how much you have wanted to see your mother,'_ thought Shino as he watched the nightlife come out of the forest.

The question that had been bugging him was also something that he could guess was eating Hinata up. After all, she was the one who was most attuned to Naruto's chakra. Even though she was asleep when he had arrived, she had to have felt the surge and the emotions within it. Being here in this small village with Naruto's own mother didn't help much either.

'_At least Hinata-san could tell her things that I couldn't. They have been friends for such a long time and have shared more memories with each other. It would only be fitting that Motoko-sama find out about Naruto from her,'_ mused Shino as he thought of the subject.

It was true though. When they weren't on patrols the two were nearly always together. Hinata would tell stories of Naruto and how he grew up, and Motoko would in turn tell Hinata stories of her mother. To them it was an even trade. Motoko got to hear the misadventures of her son. Hinata got to hear similar stories of her deceased mother.

'_Still though, they both seem worried about Naruto, despite knowing he could take care of himself. The only thing that will put them at ease is…'_

Shino paused in his thoughts as his eyebrows rose above his glasses. The cause, A Kikaichu had flown up to him and around his head before finally landing on an outstretched finger.

The reason for his surprise though wasn't bandits, Shinobi, or any other strange creature lurking in the woods. The reason for his surprise was that it was a particular Kikaichu that he hadn't seen for nearly a week now. To be more exact, he hadn't seen it since he left Konoha.

'_You just can't go any where without causing trouble can you Naruto,'_ asked Shino rhetorically as he sent out several of his bugs to alert the others to this news.

"If what you said is true, then Naruto might need some help," mumbled Shino as he recalled majority of his Kikaichu from the perimeter and prepared to head to Naruto's location.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

'_Do I have some sign on my back that says attack me,'_ questioned Naruto as he dodged a kunai.

All had been going well for him in his time in the small village. He had been close to figuring out where Tazuna, Team 8, Team 7, and most of all Rin and Motoko were staying. The only problem he had was the fact that people were fairly tight lipped about the groups. It seems as if they suspected him of being one of Gatoh's hired thugs or an enemy Shinobi.

Of course, it didn't seem to occur to them that if he DID work for Gatoh, he would know exactly where Tazuna lived and wouldn't have to ask around for the information.

Since he wasn't having much luck he decided to rest out in the forest and eat a little of the food he had managed to gather during his run to the Wave Country. He had just started to chow down when he was suddenly attacked.

"Who the hell are you idiots," snapped Naruto as he tried to look for a village symbol.

The only thing he could see though were blank headbands that held no markings on them what so ever. Perhaps the only distinguishing feature on them was the clothing they wore, gray and black camouflage pants.

"We don't need to tell that to a dead man," snapped one of his attackers.

At the same time, a second one was throwing kunai, shuriken, and senbon at the blond as he continued to dance around the clearing. Up until now Naruto had done a fine job avoiding nearly all of the weapons. The only thing he didn't avoid though was what he wasn't expecting to see, ninja wire.

The reason for him over looking something so simple; He was busy looking for the third and fourth attacked who had hidden while the first two kept him busy.

"_**The more you struggle in this wire the tighter it is going to get,"**_ stated Hikari in an attempt to calm Naruto down.

Already he could feel the wire carving into his skin as he struggled to break free. With Hikari's words though he slowed and tried to think things through like he had been taught to do since early on in his life.

'_Four attackers, two attackers are hiding somewhere in the forest. One attack is skilled in the use of weapons and Ninja wire. She seems to remind me of Tenten-nee-chan in the way she works with them. Looking at it though, Nee-chan was more skilled then this Kunoichi. The other attacked just seems to be hanging back and acting as an added distraction,'_ processed Naruto as he moved slightly to test the limits of the wire.

As he continued to think things through something kept bothering him. It would interrupt his thinking and would often cause him to flinch or twitch as he stood there in the middle of the clearing.

'_What is that annoying buzzing that I keep hearing,'_ snapped Naruto finally as the noise started to rise in pitch.

"_**I don't know Otouto but it is getting dangerously high,'**_ answered Hikari as she started to ball up and whimper from the high pitched sound.

"Should we go ahead and kill him now? He would only get in the way when we try to finish the rest of our mission," asked the female as she walked to her partner.

"No, I say we toy with him just a little. After all it isn't every day that you get to fight a so called demon and catch them this easy," said the man.

'_Demon,'_ thought Naruto as his head snapped up to look at the duo in front of him.

"Oh yes we know who you are Kazama Kusanagi Uzumaki Naruto," answered the man while smiling.

Naruto didn't answer though as he eyeballed the man. Something wasn't right about him, and he just couldn't place it. He continued to watch as the man talked to him and tried to fight from screaming as it felt like his ears were about to burst.

"You can't hope to escape from this. We have you scouted out fairly well and know one of your major weaknesses," stated the man while he continued to smile.

'_Major weaknesses? What is he talking about…? Wait! That's it,'_ thought Naruto as he now realized what was strange about the man.

When he talked, his lips weren't moving.

'_The bastard is a ventriloquist and is capable of talking without moving his lips, but why is he doing it? Maybe that sound has something to do with it. It isn't a buzzing; it's more like a humming… Sound based jutsu,'_ realized Naruto.

Now that he knew what was going on it would only be a matter of trying to block out the sound and focus on other things around him. It was something he'd often do when trying to hunt down or track people, and a skill he had become familiar with while training with Anko.

'_So the other two attackers are still here. Aside from being a pain in the ass, this sound jutsu acts as a Genjutsu of sorts. Unless the person can recognize it, they would hardly notice everything else going on around them. That is probably why I missed the Ninja wire used with these weapons. Now that I know these things, how do I get out of here,'_ thought Naruto as he processed this new information.

"_**Kick their asses,"**_ growled Hikari as she started to stand in the mindscape, angry at being subjected to the harsh sound.

'_Well I planned on doing that Nee-chan, first though I need to get out of the wire,'_ answered Naruto.

Figuring he couldn't reach his weapons there was one of two things he could try to do. The first option was to wait until his opponents relaxed some. If they thought he was still under the effect of the jutsu that might be easy enough to accomplish. These people though didn't seem to be the type to relax their guard that easily.

The second option was to use his wind based Chakra, or Kitsune-bi to try to break free of the wires. That one would help surprise the opponents if done just right.

'_Kitsune-bi and wind chakra it is.'_

It didn't take long for Naruto to call on the ethereal blue flames and send them over the wires binding him. It did end up gaining the attention of his would be captors, but that hardly mattered now. With the wires fraying and freeing Naruto, he did his best impersonation of a Hyuga once again and sent his chakra blasting away from his body.

It did two things that effectively ended his fight with the two mysterious Shinobi. The first was because of his spinning motion and chakra to speed it up. Because of this and the wind nature chakra and Kitsune-bi, the wires made quick work of them.

The second thing that happened was the complete destruction of the clearing. Trees were shredded as the wires broke and were thrown into the surrounding forest. The cries of the two hidden Shinobi could be heard as trees came crashing down and the unnatural wind and fire finally died down.

"I'll have to remember to pack some of this ninja wire when we get home," said Naruto as he looked at the destruction brought by the improvised technique.

"_**It is deadly, but you wouldn't be able to do it if any allies were nearby while on a mission,"**_ added Hikari as she observed the carnage.

"_**How do you feel about what happened though Naru-chan,"**_ questioned Hikari gently.

Naruto knew what she was talking about. Despite everything he had gone through at home, these were his first kills.

'_I know I should feel a little bad Nee-chan, but I just don't feel anything right now. I'm more worried about any animals that might have been hurt by the attack honestly,'_ answered Naruto as he straightened his clothes and looked around the clearing.

"_**I suppose I can understand Naru-chan… It may just have something to do with them not being as personal as some kills can be,"**_ added Hikari as she watched Naruto avoid looking at the shredded remains.

'_**He feels some guilt over killing them, which is good. Still though until he kills while looking into the eyes of a person I won't know how he will react,'**_ thought Hikari.

"I guess we better get going before we draw any more attention to ourselves," mumbled Naruto as he turned away from the bodies and started towards the wood-line.

Before he could ever make it to the tree line though he was blocked off by two new arrivals, both of which he knew.

"Oh hey Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei," greeted Naruto with a smile.

* * *

_**Team 10**_

The members of Team 10 were not having a good time. Though it might be more exact to say that Ino was not having a good time and if she wasn't having a good time then no one else was going to enjoy themselves.

The reason for her ire?

The cat calls, whistles, and more then a few expletives that were being thrown at her by their prisoners. This wasn't just the ones who were guarding the town when they had arrived. It was made up of several ships that had come to the town from the blockade around the Land of Waves.

Many were wounded, and tired from their fights with what ever ships had crossed them. That worked to the advantage of Team 10 though when they ambushed the ships on the arrival into the small port town. Now that they had time to rest and heal some though, they wasted no time in jeering at Ino and any other man, woman, or child that they were interested in.

"I wish they would just shut up already," growled Ino finally, after one man described what he wanted to do with her.

"Don't worry Ino, the Fire Lord's Samurai should be here soon enough to take these men into custody. Until then we just have to keep an eye on them and capture any others who show up," mumbled Asuma as he tried to fight back the headache.

Having to put up with temperamental Kunoichi was not something he enjoyed doing. His only escape from such things though was being denied to him at the moment, and so made him suffer even more.

'_How could I be so stupid and forget to pack extra cigarettes. I didn't even pack my scroll that I kept a year's supply in for crying out loud,'_ complained the Jonin as he felt his nerves being grated by the entire situation.

Dealing with thugs, lowlifes, bandits, and degenerates he could do any time of day. Dealing with Genin with attitudes was an entirely different story though. From Ino's tantrums to the men trying to cop a feel, and tossing sexual expletives at her. To Shikamaru and Choji's defense of the Yamanaka's honor and fending off their own fair share of molesters, but not ones of the fairer sex.

"Couldn't we just tie them all up and throw them into the sea," asked Shikamaru while moving Ino away from the holding area.

Choji and Ino were quick to agree with their old friend, though each had their own input on what should also be done with them.

"For the last time, we can't kill them or torture them in a way that would cause physical harm. We were sent here by Hokage-sama to scout out Gatoh's foothold on our country. Most of these men will be questioned and sentenced to prison if needed. The lucky ones in charge though will be sent to Konoha and get a special session with Ibiki," answered Asuma while chewing on a straw. The three Genin just growled in annoyance at their orders.

"To think we got this boring mission while the other teams got an exciting mission," mumbled Ino why scowling at Asuma's back.

To the Jonin's credit, he managed to suppress the chill that ran down his spine at the girl's look. It was a strange thing. He could shrug off the looks from most men, and their killing intent being directed at him hardly bothered him. Get a woman to look at him evilly, and direct some killing intent and he started to sweat. The more powerful the woman was, the more he felt it.

'_Guess I should be glad Kurenai and Tsunade-hime aren't here. Hell I'm glad Anko isn't even here,'_ joked Asuma as he continued walking.

He paused briefly though at the thought of Anko. Just thinking about what was going on in the Land of Waves, and Anko missing out on all of it was enough to make the man laugh. Iruka, Naruto, Hinata, Shino, and even his own team were getting some of the best missions available at the time. Not really the best in terms of ranking, but in dealing with scumbags who treated others poorly.

'_Most of all though, she is missing out on a chance to settle a score with Zabuza. From what I heard the last time she encountered him, she nearly died. Don't know how she escaped though, but I'm sure she is itching for a chance to kill the bastard,'_ mentally added the Sarutobi.

His students though had stopped walking to watch as their Sensei laughed to himself and just broke out in a wide smile. It confused them at first, but after a few times they had managed to get that he often thought about Kurenai when the two were separated. This time though it wasn't his love struck smile, as Ino called it, but one that said he found something amusing.

"Hey Asuma-sensei, what's so funny," asked Choji finally. Asuma broke out of his reverie and looked towards his students while still smiling and trying to fight off a few chuckles.

"Well, I was just thinking about how Anko is going to feel about being left out of these missions. I couldn't help but laugh at how she is going to react at _Iruka_ and _Naruto_ getting a better mission then the one she had left on," stated Asuma finally while smiling the entire time.

The three paled slightly, since they had gotten to know the crazed Special Jonin over the years. If she found out about Naruto and Iruka going on a mission to stop a scumbag like Gatoh then she would be put out. More then anything though she would take her anger out on the two who beat her to the punch.

"Yeah, exactly my thoughts kids. Poor Iruka probably won't be getting any for weeks after this," joked Asuma before freezing at a sudden drop in temperature.

"Asuma-sensei…"

Asuma turned around and looked at Ino who suddenly seemed more terrifying then anything else he had seen before. Choji and Shikamaru were a dozen yards away shaking their heads at the Jonin who could feel doom climbing up his body.

"YOU PERVERT," screamed Ino as she pulled out her whip and cracked it at Asuma with all of her might.

* * *

_**Zabuza**_

Haku stood by the bed of Zabuza as he finished fixing the bandages of the missing-nin. The damage done by Hinata had just about completely healed, thanks to a few healing jutsu Haku had known. Given two more days the former member of the Seven Swordsmen would be back on his feet and prepared to talk with a person he had been dreaming of butchering for the last year.

"You felt that chakra as well, right Haku? He is near Tazuna and them now which means we might get the chance to settle our score with him," said Zabuza as he smiled beneath his bandages.

Haku shook his head at the man. To be honest though he could understand the desire for revenge. The Demon Brothers had been two of Zabuza's most trusted men. Not only that but aside from Haku they had been the only ones willing to follow Zabuza for so long. Now it was just the two of them, and they were forced to accept jobs like this. Jobs where you couldn't be sure if you would be paid or killed by their employer.

For the most part though Haku always stayed silent when Zabuza ranted. He could never tell what was the proper thing to say to the man when he was in this state of mind. At times it was best to just stand there, nod his head, and let the man rant to his heart's content.

"Huh," asked Haku when he heard Zabuza raise his voice.

"I said we will attack them in two days. On the morning of the second day we will strike. Kisame and Itachi should have felt that Chakra pulse and should be heading here, if they aren't here already," growled Zabuza while glaring at the ice user.

Haku only nodded his head rapidly in an attempt to appease the sword wielder.

"Hai Zabuza-sama. I shall prepare everything for you," answered Haku before bowing and leaving the room.

'_Soon I will have my revenge on that Hyuga bitch and that blond brat,'_ thought Zabuza as he drifted off to sleep with a sadistic smile on his face.

* * *

_**Team 8**_

Hinata, Rin, and Motoko all saw and felt the chakra used by Naruto moments ago. Who couldn't see the small tornado that popped out of nowhere in the middle of the woods? Of course it helped that they were jumping along the rooftops of the villages.

As if reading their thoughts though, one of Shino's bugs had come to them and wrote out a small message in the roof in the only way a bug could. Eating away at the wood it managed to tell them Naruto had appeared, and in which direction he could be found. With the message delivered, the small insect climbed aboard for the ride back to its hive as the three Kunoichi made their way to what was bound to be a memorable gathering.

It didn't take much for the two older Kunoichi to notice how enthusiastic Hinata was at the news of Naruto finally showing up. Who could blame here though? She had finally gotten to know a little more about the one person who started off as her first friend, and her best friend.

Despite Naruto having claim to those titles, there was still a great deal about his life that was kept a mystery to her and the rest of their friends. One of the biggest was how he came about being mute in the first place. Why the villagers behaved the way they did at times? Why did he wear such odd clothing, long sleeved shirts during the hot Konoha summers?

So many answers that she had the others had been looking for, and yet few of their questions were ever answered. So being able to get in touch with his mother before him made her feel like she had won the lottery. It didn't matter that she had never seen Naruto in over a decade. Just being able to find one piece of the puzzle that was Uzumaki Naruto was enough for her.

"You can slow down Hinata-chan, Naruto-kun isn't going any where," stated Motoko calmly as she came alongside of the Hyuga Heiress, and Rin came along Hinata's other side.

"I k-know b-but I kind of m-miss Naruto-kun. S-since we joined our t-teams we haven't been able to s-see each other much," admitted Hinata as she started to blush slightly.

Now being faced with seeing him after so long, and re-telling some of his more radical acts only served to remind her of how much she enjoyed being around him.

"I understand but as I said, he isn't going any where any time soon," chided Motoko again.

Nodding her head, Hinata slowed her pace down from a frantic run to a more sedate race. Of course the slowing down wasn't just for the purposes stated by Motoko. The Kusanagi had her own reasons for wanting to take her time to make it to where he son would be.

'_I hope he is as anxious to meet me as Shino said.'_

* * *

_**Naruto**_

"Well Naruto, are you going to explain to me why you took off like that in the middle of a mission briefing? Tsunade-sama and Hokage-sama stated that it would be up to you to inform me of why you took off like that. They informed me it was a personal issue," questioned Kakashi for the second time since he had arrived.

Naruto for the most part stood there frowning at the silver-haired Shinobi. He wasn't dumb enough to think he could have gotten away with pulling that stunt, but he didn't want to have to explain everything to Kakashi.

"Naruto, it might be best if you told us what was going on," added Kurenai gently.

"_**They have a right to know, at least your team does. Not to mention that if you concentrate you can pick up Iruka's scent coming from Kakashi,"**_ added Hikari.

Naruto nodded his head absently at what his inner sister stated. He could smell Iruka and he could also smell Iruka's blood on Kakashi. He didn't know what happened, but he could tell that something major had happened on to his team and Iruka on their way to the Land of Waves.

"Hey guys what's going on? I say the little tornado and me and Akamaru came running," shouted Kiba as he landed in the clearing before Naruto could say anything.

The Inuzuka looked around the clearing for a second and picked up the scent of blood easily. It didn't take him long to see the remains of the Shinobi scattered around either. Barking from Akamaru made him turn towards where Kurenai and Kakashi were facing and a frown to form.

"Oh, it's just Naruto," growled Kiba after setting his eyes on the Uzumaki.

Once again before Naruto could say anything Shino appeared behind Naruto. That wasn't the end of it though, since Hinata, Rin, and Motoko each landed behind Kakashi and Kurenai seconds after Shino appeared.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat at seeing Rin and Motoko; with Motoko looking almost the way she had been described by Gamabunta and in his father's scrolls. Rin looks like the picture he had seen, but obviously she had aged and been under a great deal of stress. That still didn't stop her from aging as graceful as some other women wished.

"Perhaps it would be best if we continued this in a more secure location," stated Motoko as she tried to keep any reaction from her face.

He looked just like Shino had said a small clone of her deceased husband, Arashi. Every twitch of his muscles reminded her of him so much. Even the way his hair fell reminded her so much of him. How people couldn't see the resemblance and relationship she would never know. That didn't mean she hadn't heard a few rumors from Shino about why people refused to connect the dots between Naruto and the Yondaime.

Kakashi paused for a second before he nodded his head. It would be best for this to occur behind closed doors. It would also give them a chance to relieve Sasuke and Sakura of their watch over Kaiza and Tazuna at the bridge, and allow Shino and Kiba to replace them.

"Very well, let's head back to Tazuna's place and you can fill me in Naruto," decided Kakashi finally.

Naruto nodded his head grimly, but smiled over towards Hinata, who smiled back. She looked confused, but any questions she might have would have to wait until a little later, after he filled in Kakashi, Kurenai, Iruka, and then caught up with his mother.

* * *

_**Tazuna**_

It took very little time for the group of Shinobi to make it to the home of Tazuna.

It was only when they entered the humbled abode that things became touchy. During the trip there everyone had forgotten the fact that Naruto had just sliced up several Shinobi with wires. Because of that his hair and clothes were soaked in blood from the resulting carnage.

So when Tsunami and Sakura saw this they both ended up panicking and rushing over to Naruto. It was only after Naruto fought them tooth and nail to keep his clothes on, and yelled out that he was fine did they calm down. At their insistence though he was forced up to the shower before they allowed him to do anything else.

While he was in the shower, Kakashi was explaining to Tazuna and the others just who Naruto was, in relation to Team 7. It was also at this time that Kakashi explained to Sasuke and Sakura that Kiba and Shino would be taking their place when Tazuna and Kaiza left to go back to the bridge after lunch.

By the time Naruto was done, Team 8, minus Hinata, was out on bodyguard duty, and the denizens of the house had settled in to wait for Naruto.

"Nice of you to finally join us Naruto," mumbled Sakura as he came down the stairs with a towel over his head.

"Once a loser," started Sasuke before a glare from Kakashi, Motoko, Iruka, and Sakura stopped him.

"Enough Sasuke and Sakura," added Kakashi as he leveled his visible eye at them.

"Naruto, I think it would be wise to tell us everything. Part of being on a team is to trust each other, and not keep secrets or act on your own," chided Kakashi.

Even though he said that, he could feel the glare of Iruka and Naruto on him. He didn't hold any question as to why they were looking at him like that. It was something he preached, but had failed to follow through with on several occasions in Naruto's past.

"Why sure Kakashi-sensei," growled out Naruto while picturing several ways to torture the Copy-nin.

"Where would you like me to start _Sensei_," questioned Naruto after his torture of Kakashi in his mind.

"_**He will probably wish for you to start from the beginning, and question why you ran off like you did,"**_ added Hikari as she did her own little visualization of Kakashi's torture.

"Well, how about why you ran off in the middle of a briefing, despite your superiors calling you back. Had you been anyone else, you would have been labeled a Missing-nin, and hunted down," stated Kakashi seriously as he narrowed his eye at Naruto.

His statement brought mixed reactions around the room.

Iruka was fighting the urge to yell at Kakashi, seen by his trembling lips and shaking shoulders. You could tell he wanted to say something, but knew he was trying to keep his anger in check.

Sakura just gasped at the news, never having thought that what Naruto did would have been that serious of an offense. Sure she knew it was wrong to do what he did, but to label him a Missing-nin, and send out hunter-nin… She just couldn't believe Naruto would garner such a reaction.

Sasuke was thinking along the same lines as Sakura for the most part. He knew Naruto wasn't an ordinary Genin; then again none of those in their graduating class was a typical Genin. To threaten with Hunter-nin though was just showing how serious of an offense it was.

Hinata was in a similar situation to Sakura, except she also felt more then a little guilty. She felt that she was partially to blame for everything that had happened to Naruto. That she was one of the reasons Naruto had taken off from Konoha and risked his own life and reputation.

Rin was doing a good job at keeping her anger hidden from the watchful eyes of Kakashi. Despite wanting to slug him and send him flying out of the room, and into a coma for a few years. She could hardly believe that they had both trained under Kazama Arashi, and been through the things they had gone through, and have him still turn out to be the same asshole he was before Obito passed away.

Motoko? Well she was having a similar problem as Iruka, but was doing a far better job at concealing it. Her glare though was more then enough to unsettle Kakashi as her crimson eyes seemed to drill into the side of his head.

Naruto just hung his head slightly at the words of his Sensei. He knew they were true, and knew that had it not been for Tsunade and the Sandaime, most of the council wouldn't wait a minute to put him in the Bingo book after what he had done.

'_They wouldn't want their little demon container running around loose without a leash now could they,'_ thought Naruto as he remembered how screwed up some of the council members were.

"_**Naru-chan what have I said about talking like that? Thinking in such a way only gives them more power over you. You shouldn't allow their behavior to affect you,"**_ countered Hikari.

Sighing, Naruto nodded his head to his inner sister, and steeled himself to at least give some partial information on why he had run off.

"Alright Sensei. What I am about to say though is classified information, and the only reason I'm allowed to tell you is because I was involved directly. Not to mention that it will dictate how we should handle Zabuza since he knows I'm here in the country," said Naruto finally.

He laughed when he saw the look of surprised on Sakura's face, knowing she at least partially believed what he was about to say was truly classified. Sasuke and Kakashi though didn't seem to believe his words, but once he was done with his story they might have a change in attitude.

Glancing at Motoko and Rin he was slightly surprised to find they weren't surprised by what he was about to say. Seeing how they hadn't been to Konoha in years, he couldn't help but wonder why they wouldn't be surprised. That is until he remembered that Shino had been here, and more then likely prepped them on what to expect.

Hinata once again shared a similar look to Sakura, except now she was also holding onto her necklace beneath her jacket. It seemed like ever sense she had gotten this mission to Wave Country she had been learning more and more about Naruto. Perhaps not a great deal more, but she was learning more about the jig-saw puzzle that was Naruto's past.

Iruka though was not surprised by any of this. A look of understanding was being sent in Naruto's direction from his former Sensei, and maybe soon to be brother. That last thought always gave him chills and nearly made him unconsciously recall a certain night nearly half a year ago.

"Everything starts nearly a year and a half ago when Anko-nee-chan decided to take me on a mission to Water Country with her," started Naruto as he started his story.

* * *

_**Konoha**_

Back in Konoha things were as normal as could be. That though was all about to change as a certain Special Jonin walked through the front gates of the village and towards her home.

Mitarashi Anko was looking forward to spending time with her little family, and most of all spending the evening with her special friend, who was far friskier then his students would have thought. He always ended up being tons of fun when she got back after a difficult mission, and aside from that he was always a great person to talk to when she needed to dump her feelings out.

'_I wonder what Iruka-kun will want to do tonight… Otouto will probably spend most of the night training again and Ibiki has spent most of his free time planning those damn Chunin Exams. That means Iruka-kun and I have the house all to ourselves tonight. Well at least for a few hours,'_ mused Anko as she walked into the Hokage Tower to turn in her report.

It was only as she walked up the stairs to the turn in station that she noticed strange looks being thrown her way. It wasn't the looks she used to get years ago after the incident with Orochimaru. She couldn't quite place what the looks meant, but it seemed like all conversation stopped as she entered the stairwell and made her way up.

It wasn't until she decided to slow down and stretch her hearing to its limits did she get an idea of what might have been going on.

"I heard that Asuma's team is still sitting at that village taking out Gatoh's ships and capturing his men," said a male voice, which sounded like one of her favorite Chunin, Izumo.

"No kidding. I can't believe the things Sandaime-sama has the Rookie teams doing right now. I mean they are practically taking an entire crime syndicate by themselves," added another voice Anko knew well know, Kotetsu.

"I kind of wish I could have gone with the supply team though. I mean I really wanted to see Iruka fight out there on the ocean. Here on land he seems like nothing," stated Izumo, causing Kotetsu to laugh.

"No way man. I'd be sea-sick in no time, and not to mention who they would probably end up fighting when they get to the Land of Waves. Though with Kakashi and Kurenai there, Zabuza doesn't stand a chance," countered Kotetsu while laughing at his own joke.

The last part was all it took for Anko to jump up the rest of the stairs and grab the two Chunin by their jackets then slam them into the wall. Fear was evident in both of their eyes as they realized Anko had overheard them, or at least heard some of their little talk.

"Team 7, Naruto's team, went to the Land of Waves?" asked Anko was holding the two men well above the ground. Both being too afraid to say anything only nodded their heads rapidly.

"Iruka went with them too," stated Anko. Again she was greeted with nods.

She didn't say anything else. When the two Chunin heard the grinding of her teeth they knew they were in for a world of pain. They were close, being slammed hard enough against the wall to make them see stars and crack the plaster. Nothing else was said as the two slid down the wall to the ground and watched the Special Jonin stomp towards the Hokage's office.

"Hey Izumo, Kotetsu did you hear! Anko's back in the village, and rumor has it she doesn't know a thing about Naruto and them going to Wave," yelled Yamashiro Aoba as he rounded the corner of the stairwell to the guard post of the two Chunin.

He stopped short when he saw the two knocked out and drooling on the ground, with small trails of blood coming from where their heads had bounced off the wall.

"Oh… It looks like you guys know," mumbled the glasses wearing man as he moved to pick the two up.

Anko on the other hand was standing in front of a smirking Tsunade and a trembling Sandaime.

Tsunade found the little outburst rather amusing and a nice distraction from her daily duties as she learned the ins and outs of being the Hokage. The best thing though was that it gave her a very good reason to break out a few bottles of Sake without Shizune jumping on her back about it.

"I want you to explain to me WHY you sent Naruto AND Iruka on that mission," demanded Anko as she stood in front of two of the most powerful people in Konoha.

Tsunade laughed slightly as she reached into the desk and pulled out a bottle of liquor and several serving dishes for it. The Sandaime on the other hand pulled out his trusty pipe and prepared for the headache of the month.

"During the briefing for the mission, the employer, Kaiza, was found to be lying about the situation. When pressed we gained the information about Zabuza being there. By that time Team 8 had already been dispatched. During the explanation of this Naruto showed several signs of stress, but strangely he only snapped when there was the mention of a Kunoichi there," answered Tsunade while motioning for Anko to have a seat.

"Naruto rushed out of here, packed up, and departed for the Land of Waves faster then anyone could catch up to him. We have no idea why he behaved as such. At first we thought it may have been because of Zabuza being there, and Hinata also being there. When we thought back to everything though he seemed fine, though worried when that was mentioned. As Tsunade stated, it was only when Kaiza mentioned two Kunoichi that had been helping him did Naruto react violently," added the Sandaime as he enjoyed his pipe.

Anko's hands were locked on her knees and her knuckles were turning white from the strain. She couldn't believe it! Momochi Zabuza, the man who WOULD have killed her had Naruto no intervened. The man who nearly killed Naruto, and would have had Hikari not aided and Tsunade's timely arrival. The one person Naruto had come close to killing but was spared when Anko begged an enraged Naruto/Hikari to stop.

'_My god. That man is as good as dead now,'_ realized Anko as she pictured the things Naruto had gone through after that moment in his life.

"Iruka had to be sent on the mission because Team 7 was a man short. Of course he would have gone along from the start. His knowledge of Shinobi naval warfare surpasses even my own," admitted the Sandaime as he thought of the few times he had to fight out at sea.

"Send me there so I can help out! Other then Naruto I know the most about Zabuza and his accomplices," demanded Anko.

"No," stated Tsunade evenly while looking over her folded hands.

"Now before you ask why, I'd like to inform you of the mission you will be taking part in," said Sarutobi as he saw Anko about to object.

"Fine but it better be worth it," said Anko as she let her anger leave her, for now.

"Oh I'm sure you are going to like it," admitted the Sandaime as he turned to Tsunade and nodded.

"You see Anko I think we have a spy, or spies within our village. I managed to come about this while looking over hospital records, and reviewing the staff there during my shake down of the place," started Tsunade as she moved a folder towards Anko's side of the desk.

"Yakushi Kabuto," read Anko as she picked up the folder and started to read the material presented to her.

* * *

_**Wave**_

Those in the room could hardly believe half of what Naruto had just told them. Of course to those who knew one of Naruto's greatest secrets, Kyubi, they could tell he left something out of the story. That still hardly allowed them to believe most of what he said.

"You can't be serious Naruto," blurted Sakura finely as she could hardly fight back the surprise she felt.

"I'm dead serious Sakura," answered Naruto bluntly as he look at her seriously.

Kurenai could only nod at Naruto's words. She had seen how Zabuza had reacted towards Hinata, and heard the things said. While she didn't understand it much at the time; now though she had an understanding of why Zabuza reacted so violently towards seeing a sign of Naruto.

"I have to believe him Sakura. When we fought Zabuza Hinata had him crippled. Then when he caught a glimpse of something belonging to Naruto he snapped and fought like a man possessed," added Kurenai finally.

"What she said is true. I witnessed the fight, and that is how it played out. Had Hinata not thrown the flash bang, and I not arrived in time the entire team might have been slaughtered," added Motoko.

While calm on the outside, she was doing flips on the inside. The story had knotted up her stomach so much she thought she was going to be sick. Hearing the actual details from Naruto was nothing like the abridged version from Shino.

"And so this is why you took up training in Suiton and other techniques used by Zabuza," asked Kakashi skeptically.

'_While the story is hard to believe, it answers a few questions. Like why his file in the Ninja registry is so thick for a fresh Genin. I knew he was going on missions with Anko and Ibiki, but this is the first time I heard about anything like this happening,'_ thought Kakashi as he reflected on the blanked out portions of Naruto's file.

"So we are to expect you to be some kind of expert on Zabuza," asked Sasuke rudely, trying to poke holes in the story of the blond.

He didn't want to believe any of it, but thinking back to the things they had been briefed on before departing for Wave, he couldn't help but let some of it in. He remembered Naruto coming to class in an outrageous get up covered in bells.

Naruto looked at the Uchiha for several seconds, knowing what to say to drive his point home on how he viewed Zabuza. The only question was how the Uchiha would react to it.

"There are two people in this world that I want to kill Sasuke. Zabuza is only the second one on my list, and far more inferior then the first one who has caused my family so much harm," gravely said Naruto in his best dead serious voice he could muster.

"I suppose you could say that you and I are similar in that way. The only difference though is that I'm not as obsessed about it as you seem to be about your quest for vengeance. I don't mind stopping to smell the roses and enjoy life. Most of all though I believe that my family wouldn't want me to become single minded," added Naruto when he saw Sasuke about to retort to his earlier statement.

No one that knew the two boys could believe what had just been said. Even as the two locked eyes and fought for supremacy, they could feel the heat of the exchange. No one who knew that part about Sasuke had ever dared to declare it out in the open like this. Anyone who tried would have probably been riddled with various sharp objects before they finished.

Yet for some reason Sasuke was doing nothing. He seemed to be measuring the sincerity of Naruto's words. Trying to weigh if they were true or not.

"And who might the person on the top of your list be," questioned Sasuke while still staring at Naruto.

Despite being proud of her son, she also couldn't help but wonder who he truly wanted to seek and destroy. Who had angered him enough to earn his ire? His dark tone seemed so different from what she had been told about him by Hinata and Shino. It didn't match the bright personality that she had pictured him with. It seemed to her like he had his father's looks, and when it came to his personality…

'_His personality seems to be a mix between mine and Arashi's,'_ decided Motoko as she watched her son, and his close friend from the corner of her eye.

Hinata was stunned too by the blonde's decree. She had never heard anything about this before and was shocked. She had never seen him behave like this, not even when he was being bullied in the early years.

As if he read her mind though, Naruto turned towards Hinata and smiled sadly, saddened that he had to reveal this and show a part of himself he was disgusted with.

"Sorry Hinata-chan, I know I should have told you about this before, but I just couldn't bear letting you see this side of me," admitted Naruto, ignoring Sasuke's question. "I swear I'll make it up to you when we get back to Konoha, and I'll try to answer any of your questions," added the boy when she nodded slightly in understanding, though hurt was still shown in her eyes.

"HEY! I asked you a question," yelled Sasuke while standing up and slamming his palms on the table.

"Settle down Sasuke," ordered Kakashi as he eyed the now furious Uchiha.

To be honest this was the last thing he expected from the Uzumaki. Currently though he was hoping he wasn't any where on Naruto's list, He knew he had done more then enough to be placed on the list, directly and indirectly.

"The person I truly want to kill… He is one of the three," whispered Naruto before standing up and heading upstairs.

Those that heard him clearly were shocked at his words. After all, there were only three people that were referred to in such ways. Anyone who knew him could already guess which person he was referring to. He was practically considered the Grandson of two of the three, and was responsible for them returning to Konoha.

"Orochimaru," gasped Sakura with wide green eyes.

* * *

Naruto wasn't the only one to head up stairs.

Motoko had made it up the stairs faster then anyone else could follow, except perhaps Hinata who almost made it before Motoko turned and shook her head. It was the chance Hinata knew the woman had been looking for since Naruto showed up. A chance for mother and son to be reunited, and Hinata understood it completely.

It didn't take long for the skilled Kunoichi to find her wayward son sitting over the supplies he had brought with him. One particular thing caught her eye though, since she had been a victim to it on her wedding day.

"I see Gamabunta still likes handing out his special Sake. I suppose it was his graduation present, and welcome to the family gift," asked Motoko from the doorway to the room Naruto was in.

She watched as the boy nodded his head while he was hunched over his supplies. She could also see something else that caused her some confusion.

His shoulders were shaking slightly, and the closer she got to him the more she realized what he was doing. Before she could say anything though the boy jumped up from the floor and flung himself at her while wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her chest. For the first time in his life he got to know what it felt like to cry while his mother held him.

If anyone had been listening they would have heard soft words coming between sobs. A boy saying a word that had was foreign to him for so long. Something that he had often dreamed about during his early years in the Orphanage, and was told would never come back for him during those same years.

At the same time a beautiful strong Kunoichi opened her emotions for the first time in years as well. She allowed tears to leak from her eyes as she held the son she thought she would never see. He was the last remnant of a life she had thought she lost when she for awoke all those weeks ago.

"It's okay baby. Momma's here and she'll never leave you again," whispered Motoko as she hugged her son tightly.

* * *

_**A/N**_

This is coming out later then I expected, the 29th of June. I had hoped to have it out a week or two after the previous chapter.

Sadly though I got caught up with watching an anime I've been trying to watch for some time, Robotech, the Macross Saga. Only got 22 episodes in though, since I also got caught up reading a number of new manga, and trying to expand my manga exposure.

So I'm sorry I suck at multitasking, I'll try to get better at it.

As usual, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know it might not be up to par with some of the earlier chapters in terms of length, but with some fights coming up, things are going to be rather fun.

The manga has finally moved along as well, and looks to be getting interesting once again. Not much else to say, since I do more then enough ranting about the current state of the manga on online forums.

See you folks next time.


	18. Hurricane Rising Part 1

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

* * *

_**Previously**_

Naruto wasn't the only one to head up stairs.

Motoko had made it up the stairs faster then anyone else could follow, except perhaps Hinata who almost made it before Motoko turned and shook her head. It was the chance Hinata knew the woman had been looking for since Naruto showed up. A chance for mother and son to be reunited, and Hinata understood it completely.

It didn't take long for the skilled Kunoichi to find her wayward son sitting over the supplies he had brought with him. One particular thing caught her eye though, since she had been a victim to it on her wedding day.

"I see Gamabunta still likes handing out his special Sake. I suppose it was his graduation present, and welcome to the family gift," asked Motoko from the doorway to the room Naruto was in.

She watched as the boy nodded his head while he was hunched over his supplies. She could also see something else that caused her some confusion.

His shoulders were shaking slightly, and the closer she got to him the more she realized what he was doing. Before she could say anything though the boy jumped up from the floor and flung himself at her, while wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her chest. For the first time in his life he got to know what it felt like to cry while his mother held him.

If anyone had been listening, they would have heard soft words coming between sobs. A boy saying a word that had was foreign to him for so long. Something that he had often dreamed about during his early years in the Orphanage, and was told would never come back for him during those same years.

At the same time, a beautiful strong Kunoichi opened her emotions for the first time in years as well. She allowed tears to leak from her eyes as she held the son she thought she would never see. He was the last remnant of a life she had thought she lost when she for awoke all those weeks ago.

"It's okay baby. Mama's here and she'll never leave you again," whispered Motoko as she hugged her son tightly.

* * *

_**Hurricane Rising Part 1**_

Kakashi slowly backed away from the door as he thought about what he had just overheard. He couldn't believe that after all of this time, Naruto's mother had finally shown up. To make it even more amazing was the fact that he, Naruto, knew that she was here.

'_This is only adding to the confusion of today and Naruto's life. Just who exactly are you Uzumaki Naruto, and why am I finding myself drawn to you more and more now,'_ though Kakashi as he reflected on the changes he had been going through lately.

He hated Naruto with a passion before but had to hide it. Even when he was on the ANBU guard for Naruto, he hid his hate and tried to act overtly to gain some measure of revenge on Naruto for taking away the little sense of family he had. So why did he now want to get closer to the Uzumaki and learn more about the boy's hidden past?

With those thoughts on his mind, he carefully made his way out the window he used to sneak into the second story and moved to sit on the dock while he thought over this latest revelation. Right about now he was sure that the Sandaime, Tsunade, and Jiraiya knew more then they had let on the few times he spoke with them on this issue.

'_Just how much more do they know, and hide from me though.'_

* * *

_**Wave**_

On the other side of the small country, a weathered man sat outside of a small cave as he awaited his special "guests". He knew they would be there soon, the animals in the area were already running to hide as their deadly aura started to saturate the area. Not even his own calming one was enough to overcome the flight or fight instinct that all creatures large and small had.

It wasn't long before the two Akatsuki agents stepped out of the thin forest and arrived in the clearing he had been patiently waiting. One tall and imposing and the other short and impassive. The aura of killing intent seemed to be coming from the taller of the two, but that didn't mean the shorter one was any less deadly. Not if what he had heard during his travels was true.

"Welcome Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. I've been waiting for you to arrive. I have a number of questions I'd like to ask you about my brethren," greeted the man as he stood up and removed the robe that had been resting on his shoulders.

The two Akatsuki noticed the change in the weather and the tallest wasted little time in removing his bandaged sword from his back and brandishing it at the man. They could already tell what they were up against, a Biju far more superior then any other opponent they may have come across in the past. From the chakra that permeated the air, they could tell he was a powerful Biju as well.

"Hehe, we may be able to get two targets at once, eh Itachi," said Kisame as he looked as the man who now held a staff in front of himself.

Itachi said nothing though as he calmly watched the events occurring in front of him. He knew Naruto had been here not too long ago, but now he could tell his chakra was somewhere else in the country. In his place it seemed like another Biju had decided to wait to attempt to question the duo.

"Kisame remember we can not kill him. Just damage him long enough to return to the leader so that we may continue our plans," stated Itachi finally as he raised his head enough to reveal his two Sharingan gifted eyes.

Before the shark man could launch forward though a storm of lightning rained down upon the clearing as the man hoisted his staff in the air. It took a great deal of concentration for the two to try to dodge the bolts of death that had hammered down upon them. It only stopped though when a booming voice called out from the location of the old man.

"I am called Ragnarok for a reason. I shall bring an end to your plans, and if not then I shall hinder them enough for my brethren to overcome the threat you and your ilk have proven to be. You shall learn that the Biju are not a force to be reckoned with," said the voice, as loud as thunder.

That signified that the fight was now on as Kisame once again charged forward towards his target with no sign of fear. He flashed to the side narrowly avoiding a lightning bolt that sought to end his life. He was on his target seconds later, sword coming down to lop off an arm. Instead, his sword was caught by the withered hand of the man as he closely inspected the sword being used by the Merman.

"So the weapon I crafted from Isonade skin has been used for such murders. I should have known such things would happen when I left it in the land of Water. Their isolationism was always such a problem," growled the man in a voice of power as he shoved the sword away.

Kisame glared at the man and his glare only deepened when he noticed no damage done to the hand of the man claiming to be the creator of Samehada. Even as he tried to raise his weapon for another attack, something unprecedented happened.

The defense of Samehada normally only used when someone _other_ then Kisame tried to use the blade activated. Spikes grew from the handle and speared the hands of the shark-man as he fought to release the blade. Eventually the spikes returned but Kisame left the sword on the ground as he tried to figure out just what happened.

"I told you, I crafted that blade and because of that it may not be used against me. Just as it cannot be used on me, it may not be used on Isonade either. So Kisame, what shall you do now that your prized weapon refuses to fight by your side," asked the man as thunder and lightning continued to flash and rumble.

Kisame was furious at the turn of events and his growl and teeth grinding only served to prove this to any blind individual. It wasn't that he didn't have any other skills, but what else could he do against a demon such as this? It was only then that black fire raced forward from behind him and towards the demon.

Ragnarok's eyes widened upon seeing the flames that came racing towards him. He was no fool, and knew very well what had just been used against him. With a wave of his staff, he sent a storm of lightning bolts at the eternal burning flames.

The result was a massive explosion as lightning and fire crashed together and threw debris and smoke into the air.

"_**You dare to use such a move on me Uchiha? Prepare to see why I am called Ragnarok and feared more then Kyubi by those wise enough,"**_ roared the dragon as he soared into the sky in his true form, that of a sapphire blue dragon with silver highlights.

The sky darkened and winds picked up as he roared. Thunder rolled as lightning cracked and struck the trees of the clearing. Even the earth seemed to tremble at the declaration of the dragon.

On the ground in the clearing Itachi looked up still as impassive as before. Kisame had managed to return the sword to his back and dared not to reach for it again in this fight. While shaken up, even Kisame could tell that this fight was going to be taxing to both members of the Akatsuki organization.

"_**You humans squander the gifts Kami has bestowed upon you. You seek to challenge the gods themselves and when that is done, they call upon us Biju to rain fire and brimstone down upon the earth to cease such foolish acts. Your group has made an enemy of all of the freed Biju and we each know your goal,"**_ roared the dragon as he started to circle the clearing.

"_**Should you catch us we will not go easily. When the demons fall Nature shall revolt and destruction will be brought to humanity. Nothing will stop the brewing storm from destroying the red dawn and bringing a new clear future."**_

"I care not for what you claim Demon. I merely wish to test my limits, and if I should have to test them against a revolting Earth then so be it," stated Itachi just managing to be heard over the brewing storm.

The storm only seemed to kick up as Itachi made his declaration. The prideful Uchiha openly declared war on the demons and the Gods themselves and was willing to destroy the planet just for his ambition. Willing to bring death to everyone on the planet just to satisfy his quest.

That just wasn't going to stand.

* * *

_**Team 8**_

Early the next morning things had livened up as Teams 7 and 8 became complete cells once again and took part in the guarding and general protection of Tazuna and his family. It had been decided that during the day Team 8 would watch over Tsunami, Inari, and the house while Team 7 would take care of things at the bridge. It had met with some anger by Kiba, but that had been settled quickly by Kurenai.

"Why do we get to baby sit Tsunami and the brat while Sasuke and them get to have the fun at the bridge? I mean what am I supposed to do here, cut vegetables?" groaned Kiba as he flopped down on the floor of the small home.

He ignored the small glare Tsunami sent his way and the indignant cry of Inari. He wanted action! If he couldn't get action then he would at least like a chance to train. Working at the bridge would give him a chance to work out some, but playing bodyguard at a house limited all of that.

'_Gah the only good thing about being stuck here is being able to check out the babes. Tsunami don't look too bad for having had a kid. Then of course there is Kurenai-sensei and Hinata. Last but not least is the sexy babe Hiita,'_ thought Kiba as he looked at the females in question and fought the temptation to droll while dreaming of them in various states of undress and poses.

"We are better suited to play bodyguard in this case Kiba. At the same time, we are best suited for night patrol while Team 7 performs the main bodyguard function here. The roles we play are dictated by the skills we possess," answered Shino while trying to ignore the reports his Kikaichu were giving him about Kiba pheromones.

He of course didn't need them. After all the, lustful gaze Kiba directed around the house was easy to notice. The only ones who seemed to be ignorant of it were Tsunami, Inari, and Hinata.

"We can kick ass when we need to! Besides it isn't like we got our asses handed to us when we fought Zabuza!"

"That is exactly what occurred Kiba."

"Shut up SHINO! We could have handled him. He only caught us by surprise!"

"And he would have the chance to do so again if he decided to attack Tazuna at the bridge."

"Damn it I hate when you get like this," roared Kiba before being slapped in the back of his head. After being slapped, he quickly turned to the perpetrator only to find himself staring into twin sets of crimson eyes.

"Kiba what have I told you about your language in front of our clients," asked Kurenai with a vein throbbing on her forehead.

She had more then enough of Kiba's leering and his constant whining. For someone who acted so big and tough he sure liked to cry about everything when it didn't go his way.

"But Sensei you know we can do better then Team 7," Kiba tried to argue, only to get a glare in response.

"They are a combat team and have the best Genin for such a purpose. Despite how much I believe in all of your abilities, they are just not suited to handling a prepared Zabuza and his accomplice with a powerful Kekkei Genkai," pointed out Kurenai as she fought off the migraine Kiba was starting to give her.

Kiba just scoffed at his Sensei, but shivered when the eyes of Aussa settled in on him once again. He had seen the look in her eyes once before, and that was when she had appeared and scared Zabuza away. Nothing was said as she just glared at the boy and caused him to shrink away from the woman.

"Kiba you will have to understand soon that sometimes you just are not suited for a certain aspect of a mission," stated Motoko finally after Kiba refused to look at her.

"You also have to remember that Tsunami and Inari are just as likely to be attacked by Gatoh's men. Because of that they need to be protected," added Kurenai lightly, as to not let said people over hear her.

Kiba nodded his head and looked towards the window to where Hinata had been sitting. Because of the lashing he had just been given he couldn't bring himself to behave as he was just moments ago.

"There seems to be a storm brewing," whispered Hinata as she stared out the window and off to the east.

Most in the house missed her words though due to how softly she said them. The only ones likely to pick them up would have been Shino, Akamaru, and possibly the oldest Kunoichi present.

* * *

_**Team 7**_

Many of the workers gawked as an army of blond Shinobi marched between the docks and the bridge carrying supplies back and forth. Many of the men present deflated as they saw a mere child, to them, doing the work of ten men and not even straining himself any. Even his own teammates watched as the one-man work crew worked from morning to noon nonstop.

When things had finally came to a halt for the lunch break Naruto couldn't help but be cornered by some of the workers who were thanking him for taking some of the heavier burdens off their backs. Of course, he wasn't alone since Sakura and Sasuke did their own share of work, but nowhere near as much as Naruto managed with Kage Bunshin.

It was during one of these breaks, where Naruto had been carted away by a worried Rin that Tazuna walked up to Kakashi and Iruka.

"Kami help us! With the way that boy works we could be done with this bridge in no time. Hehe, if things keep going as they are we might be able to finish it before Gatoh even notices," stated Tazuna as he accepted a canteen from Iruka.

"It is amazing to see Naruto calling out that many clones. I'd nearly forgotten how many he could call up," admitted Iruka as he watched the people lounge around.

"And the way he does things makes it seem like he is used to physical activity! I didn't think a kid his age or build could be capable of doing some of the things he has done," added Tazuna cheerily.

Kakashi nodded his head absently. He had to admit Naruto surprised him today. He had surprised everyone, including Sakura and Sasuke. They knew of some of the work he did before and after the Academy each day, but never would have guessed it would allow him to do such things. Of course, they didn't know _everything_ he did or still did.

With Naruto and Rin, Rin was busy fussing over Naruto and checking him over for any injuries. It wouldn't do for him to be injured so soon. She could hardly believe what she had seen him do, even after having been there when Hinata and Shino talked about him. Some time later, she would attribute this behavior to that of an overprotective sister, something Naruto had in spades.

"Nee-chan this is nothing compared to the training I did in Konoha. If anything this is just a warm-up compared to what Higarashi-san has me doing every morning and night," whined Naruto as Rin performed several diagnostic jutsu on him.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I've never seen someone do all the work you just did and expend so much chakra and not suffer from any side effects. More so for someone who is a Genin," stated Rin as she let the green medical chakra die from her hands.

Naruto just snorted at the auburn-haired woman's remark as he slightly tugged at the tight collar of his shirt. Despite how comfortable he was in his clothing in the Land of Fire, things in the weather in the Land of Waves made it uncomfortable for him. The humidity was really starting to get to him and making the long thick clothes troublesome.

"Nee-chan, I can handle this. It is nothing compared to the training I normally did at home. Though the extra weight of the construction material is a small challenge with my weights on," countered Naruto while looking away.

He could see the jerk of Rin's head when he mentioned wearing weights, and would have laughed if he didn't want to offend the woman.

"Weights… And you did all the heavy lifting for them with an army of clones…"

'_Wow, I think I broke her Nee-chan,'_ thought Naruto as he watched Rin process the information.

"_**No, she has just been away from the life in a Shinobi village for too long. She has been on the run with your mother for most of your life after all. Not to mention that I'm when she was a Genin they didn't really have training, but baptism by fire,"**_ answered Hikari calmly.

'_Baptism by fire? Konoha never practiced such things.'_

"_**No, but when she was a Genin the Shinobi wars were in full effect. She had to work her way up in a world that few Genin have to see first hand. That though pales to what someone like Kakashi went through,"**_ clarified Hikari as she reminded Naruto of the times before his birth.

Naruto just nodded his head at that. Some of the training he went through was a sort of Baptism by fire. Being hunted down and hated by some villagers tended to do that. Having Anko train you helped a great deal as well, since she hardly knew the meaning of taking it easy. Add to that the things he went through after confronting Zabuza and he could see why Rin might be surprised.

"I'll tell you and Kaa-san a little about my training later on, okay. Right now though it looks like the lunch break is over and we need to get back to work," said Naruto when Rin looked back towards him. He smiled as she smiled at him and nodded her head in understanding.

With that, the duo moved back to helping the workers of Wave.

Kakashi and Iruka stood guard for the most part, with Rin helping. It would be their job to act as the first line of defense for the workers and Genin. They would be the first to confront any men sent by Gatoh or Zabuza. That though didn't mean that they couldn't watch the Genin and workers as they went about their business.

Kakashi in particular was watching his team move and work. Hoping to see how they acted towards each other after the talk last night. It surprised him to see that Sasuke was tolerable towards Naruto now. It seemed as if the Uchiha had started to respect the blond a little more after their talk last night.

It was easy to tell that the boy wanted to ask his teammate questions but he couldn't overcome his own feelings to do it. He had found what might possibly be a kindred spirit and wasn't sure how to confront the issue. It was an entirely new feeling.

'_He is so used to thinking that no one else could possible understand what he went through and then Naruto shatters that with his passionate words,'_ mused Kakashi as he snickered at Sasuke's behavior.

Who couldn't laugh when the Uchiha would take a few bold steps towards Naruto, and then turn away when the blond looked at him?

Sakura of course was a little shaken up by the statements made last night as well. Add to the fact that when she saw Naruto he was covered in blood, and you had a thoroughly shaken up Kunoichi. That just wouldn't do.

"Sakura, why don't you and Naruto take a little break? You've both been working pretty hard," ordered Kakashi as he moved towards them casually.

Naruto who was busy with several support beams (clones) paused to look at the Jonin. He wasn't tired and this was hardly a strenuous workout for him. Still though, he had some ground to make up and decided to follow the order. So after dropping off what he and his clones carried, he walked over to the shade of a tree and sat down before dismissing his clone.

Sakura who had been busy with packs of concrete finished what she was doing before heading to a different tree to rest. Before she had gotten half way there though Kakashi took the place she had previously selected. Scowling, and growling slightly at his smile, she was left with only one other option, because she sure as hell wasn't going to sit by the man as he read smut. So with a huff she moved and sat down beside Naruto while pulling out her canteen.

"_**You know she is probably unnerved by some things that you shared with her last night,"**_ stated Hikari as the silence grated on her nerves.

She may be a demon stuck inside someone but that didn't mean she liked uneasy silences any more then the next person. More so after spending six years in complete silence before her and Naruto finally met face to face.

'_What am I supposed to say?' _asked Naruto impatiently as the silence started to wear on his nerves. That though may have been because of Hikari deciding to lecture him instead of letting him rest peacefully.

"_**Maybe explain a little about why you want to do the things you want to do,"**_ explained Hikari, and terribly at that.

At the same time the two were arguing with each other, they were both busy with their own internal debate. The Kunoichi next to him was already in the middle of a heated discussion with her inner persona and things would have turned to blows. That of course is only if the two could throw punches at each other.

"Naruto…"

"Sakura…"

Said both teens at the same time as they grew fed up with their internal debates. Both had turned to look at the other when they spoke and when they saw each other they could only do one thing. Laugh. Laugh at how absurd they were behaving and how stupid they felt. Laugh at how funny the situation was. Most of all they just laughed to break the tension they had both felt.

"I guess you have a few questions for me, "said Naruto finally once he calmed down and turned towards his pink-haired friend.

Sakura nodded as she tried to figure out where she should start. She had never been one of his best friends and she could hardly call herself his friend. At most, they were just acquaintances that happened to see each other from time to time. Of course none of that changed the fact that at one point she did often pick on him for the last five years.

"Naruto I know we haven't exactly been on the best of terms… Seeing you in all of that blood last night though was kind of disturbing and then all of the things you said. I mean all of it just seems too hard to believe; like how you could survive Zabuza shoving a sword through your chest," said Sakura, mumbling the last part.

She knew enough about the human body to know the damage that would be caused by such an attack. Several major organs would have been damaged severely and the person would be dead before to long. The blood loss would have been unbelievable and there is just no chance that he could have lasted long enough to drag Anko to get help.

'_**Not to mention the fact that his spinal cord and ribs could have been destroyed among other things,'**_ chimed in her inner persona.

"_**You know Otouto she is bound to see some of them. She is your team's medic after all Naru-chan. She will have to see them,"**_ added Hikari from within Naruto.

"_**Not only that but it might be nice to have someone on your team you could confide in. It would be a small step in becoming better friends with her,"**_ nudged Hikari again while Naruto stayed undecided.

"Look Naruto, I know why Sasuke would want to kill Itachi and everything, but some of the things you said… I just find it all too hard to believe," said Sakura, breaking Naruto away from Hikari.

He let out an annoyed sigh at the girl's words. It was all becoming too annoying for him, but it was something that would be let out eventually. There was always a chance that the med-nin would be called upon to heal him or accidentally find his file at the hospital.

"Sakura… I can explain some of it and prove some of my words. I won't be able to tell you everything, not yet at least. It isn't that I don't trust you yet just that I still have some things to work out about my past as well," answered Naruto finally while standing up and moving off to some place more private.

Before leaving, he created a clone to relay a message back to Iruka and Kakashi. It was simple and to the point, he was going to have a private talk with Sakura. Once the message had been delivered, the clone vanished in the same cloud of smoke that it was born in.

* * *

_**Wave**_

Zori and Waraji walked into the clearing and were stunned at how destroyed it was.

They had been sent here when they had heard news of the Akatsuki being in the area, and then the small-localized storm appeared. Those close by would swear that Mother Nature had started to revolt against the world by the things they had heard and seen.

Lightning rained down as if it was the end of the world. Thunder echoed through the area during the night and the earth trembled with each crack. Trees had been uprooted and water levels rose enough to nearly flood a small village nearby. In the end, it all came to an end as dawn broke.

That was when they were sent to investigate. Not to mention to become sacrificial lambs should they even come across the Akatsuki members who were seen nearby.

So as they looked around they were surprised to see how blacked the earth had become. The pockmarks and glass inside of the craters led them to believe there were numerous lightning strikes within the small clearing. The scorch marks on trees and rocks added to this theory.

What really surprised them though were the tattered black cloaks with red cloaks. Two in total and both burned and torn. The largest one was hanging from a tree branch and the smaller one looked to have been speared into the earth by some unknown force.

Trees around the clearing were destroyed but it didn't look to be by a force of nature. The blood caked on some of the vegetation made them believe that bodies had been thrown through them with enough force to shatter the sturdy trees. Overall, it looked as if a war had been fought there, and the Akatsuki members had been on the receiving end of it.

"What do you think the boss will say," asked Zori as he pulled down the cloak of Kisame and draped it over his shoulder.

Waraji just shook his head, unsure of how he should present this to Gatoh. If there was something this strong in the country then things did not look good for their group.

"I dunno. I just hope it was only after the Akatsuki and doesn't decide to come after us," said the one-eyed man as he motioned for his partner to follow him.

The two men slowly left the clearing and joked about the events that may have happened there. With the two-cloaked figures gone it would give them more leeway to do what they wished. More so since their boss had found what sounded like ancients artifacts of some kind, something that the Akatsuki was said to be interested in.

Unknown to the two men though they were being watched by electric blue eyes from within the cave. Ragnarok had not fled the scene but instead decided upon resting inside of Hikari's cave. With some of the injuries he had sustained it would be some time before he could fight against the likes of Akatsuki again.

"I was lucky that we fought here and nowhere else. I must admit I vastly underestimated the damage of the Amaterasu. Those eyes shall prove to be deadly and I have a hunch that I only ay a glimpse of their power," mused the Dragon king as he nursed his wounds.

He would have to keep an eye on Gatoh and Akatsuki. If anyone was interested in old world technology then nothing good could possibly come from it.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

Sakura stood there stunned as she looked at Naruto's bare chest. The numerous scars marking his body caused her to start to tear up at the mere sight of them. Just seeing the marks told her how painful many of them could be. None looked more painful then the one dead center in his chest though.

Naruto had taken her to the forest and then calmly explained to her what he was about to do. When she nodded in acceptance, she could hardly imagine what she was about to see.

"N-Naruto," said Sakura as she tried to keep from crying out.

"_**If that is just what the front of him looks like, imagine the rest of his body,"**_ stated Sakura's inner personality, more subdued then she had ever been in the past.

"I guess seeing the scar shows that some of what I said about me facing Zabuza is true," admitted Naruto while pulling his shirt back down and readjusting all of his clothes.

"No one else from our class has seen any of those before Sakura… Please keep it a secret," pleaded Naruto once he was situated.

He wanted to trust them.

He wanted to tell some of them his deepest secrets.

He just wasn't sure if he could trust them as much as people claimed he could.

His plea seemed to shake Sakura out of her stupor though because her mind jerked into Med-nin training an analyzed some of the things she had seen. A number of the scars had been over vital organs, and if not vital, it still would have hurt a person. Not to mention the burn scar she saw that looked like it might wrap around his back. Most of all though was the old scar that she saw right where his jugular would be.

That one scar looked to be the oldest out of all the scars that decorated his body.

"Naruto, where did all of those scars come from? I know I might be asking for too much, but could you at least tell me something about them? Trust me enough to know that much at least. Hardly anyone from our class knows anything about you. The only ones who seemed to know you was Tenten, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji. Even then though you keep them at a distance at times," pleaded the girl as she walked up to her friend.

Naruto had to look away as he saw her eyes start to tear up. He had imagined something like this would happen. He could only imagine how someone like Tenten or Hinata would react to the things he had just shown the Haruno.

"They are just marks of people's stupidity and not being able to tell things apart. Others are from me not being strong enough to fend for myself when I needed to," claimed Naruto while trying to brush the issue aside.

"BULL SHIT! A lot of those were near fatal! No one would do something like that to a kid," yelled Sakura, angry that he was playing it off.

"Sakura you only know one side of our village. I know more about our village. I know things about it that would make you cry if you had seen the things that they are capable of doing. Compared to some villages we are nice. That still doesn't mean that we are a village of saints. Konoha is made up of humans, and because of that humans will behave irrationally," snapped Naruto, harsher then he wanted to be with the girl.

Sakura jumped back at the harsh tone of his voice. She had never hard him act in such a way. Ever since he could talk, he had been pleasant, except for the one time when he and Hinata were at odds with each other.

"You saw it right Sakura? The scar on my neck? That is from the village. Not just the village but also the one person I want to kill the most. Orochimaru still has people who work for him in Konoha. Don't ask me why he wants me dead because I can't tell you just yet. What I can tell you is that he has been the source of so many problems for my family. From me to my Nee-chans. Orochimaru has been there to cause us problems," added Naruto as he turned away and started to rub where the scar would be.

His somber tone showed how hard this was for him. It was hard for him to trust someone with some of his biggest secrets. At the same time though Sakura knew this had to be the tip of the iceberg. He still had more that he couldn't tell her, or that he wouldn't tell her just yet.

"So you want to kill Orochimaru because of the things he has done to you and Anko," asked Sakura, not realizing he had said "Nee-chans".

Naruto nodded his head at her question and turned to look at her. For someone who had lived a sheltered life, despite training to be a Kunoichi, some things would be hard for Sakura to accept. With that in mind, he hardly expected her to accept some of the darker aspects of his life or Sasuke's life.

"I do Sakura. Just as Sasuke wants to kill Itachi for the things Itachi has done. The difference between us though is drastic. I am not going to live my life just for that moment. I am going to welcome those around me and make attachments. Despite all the things in my life, I don't expect to be given anything on a silver platter. That is one of the biggest differences between me and him right now," answered Naruto finally while starting to walk back towards the bridge.

Even though he didn't say it, Sakura knew that was the end of things. She may not have learned much, but she now knew more about him then she did before. The things she had learned though left her wondering if she really wanted to learn any more. Seeing how marred his body was from things he claimed was done by Konoha villagers…

'_Do I really want to know how bad our village can really be,'_ asked Sakura as she moved to follow Naruto back to the bridge.

"_**With those two as team mates you may not have much of a choice."**_

* * *

_**Team 8**_

Team 7 walked in sweaty, tired, and completely silent. Well, except for Naruto of course who still seemed to have enough energy to run over to Hinata and greet her. It caused most of the others who had worked at the bridge to groan as they saw that despite everything he did, he still had plenty of energy to bounce around.

To Kiba though it only made him glare as the boy twirled Hinata around and had her laughing at his antics. He didn't get a chance to say anything though, because he had already placed Hinata down and raced upstairs to the restroom to clean up before dinner.

"Damn that Naruto sneaking to the bathroom first," growled Sakura, letting herself forget some of the events from that afternoon for a few seconds.

This caused most of the people to laugh, including Kakashi and Iruka who were still at the door to the small house. Kakashi, Iruka, and Rin all came in and settled down around the table while Tazuna and Kaiza went to their rooms to change and check on things around the house. For Kaiza that meant going to the kitchen and greeting Tsunami with a hug and hoisting Inari up into the air.

"Dinner should be ready by the time all of you have cleaned up," stated Kurenai as she took in the sight of the weary team.

"It seems we might be done here sooner then we thought. With Naruto assisting in building the bridge, things have progressed faster then what Tazuna had expected," said Kakashi as he sat down finally and fought the urge to pull out his book.

This statement intrigued many of the people of the house, mainly those who didn't know how legendary his stamina and chakra were.

"How is that possible? Just the other day Tazuna was telling us it would be another two or three weeks before it was completed," asked Kurenai.

"It would seem that Naruto is rather adept at using Kage Bunshin and his physical strength is enough to put several grown men to shame," answered Iruka while smiling, obviously proud of the Genin.

"So I guess all of that work he did at the forge paid off," said Kurenai while glancing at Kiba.

The Inuzuka was obviously annoyed by this. He had brushed off some of the workout plans Naruto wanted to introduce him to. He felt he had better things to do then to lug fire wood, coal, and other such things around. Hearing that some of that might have been worth the effort just pissed him off.

"Enough of that though, it's time to clean up and eat," shouted Tazuna as he came walking into the room with a bottle of sake and a smile on his face.

By this time Naruto had already finished his shower and was walking down stairs. Of course, he had to jump to the ceiling to avoid being run over by Sakura who made a mad dash to the shower.

"You better not have used up all the hot water Naruto," was all everyone could hear before the girl slammed the door shut.

* * *

_**Wave**_

Haku stood at the entrance to Zabuza's room, listening to the man argues with their employer. As much as he wanted to silence the man, he knew that Zabuza would be angry if he interfered with their discussion. Being back in near perfect health, there was little question as to how safe Zabuza was, even with Gatohh's thugs in the room. None of them could handle the Demon of the Mist.

'_At least not with the numbers here now. If Gatohh becomes angry enough though he may call upon more then we can handle,'_ thought Haku as the man in question stormed out of the room.

"Haku get in here," yelled the Swordsmen from within his room, sounding slightly angry. Haku quickly shuffled in and shut the door before turning to look at Zabuza.

"It seems that Kisame and Itachi won't be taking care of Naruto for us. Because of that we should expect to see him at the bridge when we got to attack," said Zabuza as he flopped down on his couch.

Haku stiffened at the mention of the name. He remembered more then a few nightmares involving the blood red eyes of the boy. Just as Zabuza held a grudge with Naruto, there was little doubt that the boy would hold a grudge with Zabuza. After all, they had nearly killed his so-called sister, and to ice the cake they had attacked someone else close to him just recently.

Zabuza noticed his subordinate stiffen up at the mention of the blond. At the same time, he was seething inside because of what happened after their last encounter.

"Do not hesitate to eliminate him or any of the other Konoha Shinobi this time Haku. You had the chance to kill the brat last time and passed it up. This time kill him if you get the chance, no matter what the situation," ordered Zabuza before he grabbed his massive sword and took a few swings.

The ice user could only nod his head, afraid of what the man might do to him if he failed to comply. Despite having let Naruto live before in order to save the life of Zabuza, he had been beaten for it. It hurt him, not physically, but emotionally. To him he had done the proper thing by putting Zabuza's life before that of the enemies.

Add to the fact that while Zabuza was angry at the loss of a few subordinates, Haku was genuinely saddened by the loss of the brothers. Despite what many had thought, they were caring, and had been there for a young Haku when Zabuza had first taken him in. They helped to fix him up after some of Zabuza's more brutal training sessions.

It all made Haku stronger though. It gave the boy a purpose in life, something he never had before in life. That was perhaps the only reason he had never turned on the Nuke-nin. To do so was to betray his entire purpose in life. It would be biting the hand that fed him.

'_It's just like back then,'_ thought the raven-haired boy as brief flashes of his father and mother came to him.

"I understand Zabuza-sama, and I shall not hold back," said Haku finally before turning around and leaving to prepare for the attack in the morning.

* * *

_**Wave**_

With night falling, the members of Team 8 were set loose into the small village that was the home of Tazuna. This was their territory. It was where they were at home, the shadows of the night was where they lived. Nothing could escape their watchful eyes, ears, nose, and other senses.

Kiba would be able to pick up the scent of anything suspicious, from the foul odor of drunken men, feces, urine, blood, and anything else that may accompany the angers of Gatohh's men. If that didn't work then he was bound to hear them before they could ever see him. It was one of the many advantages to having lived next to a canine for most of your life and developing a strong bond with the animal.

With Shino, things were pretty much the same. His Kikaichu could easily pick up hostile parties, or persons of interest. Be if from land, sea, or air they would find them and relay the message to their host. To make things easier, the small insects were nearly impossible to notice, unless you knew what to look for. It was for this reason that the Aburame were often sought out for infiltration and espionage missions.

Very little could hide from the eyes of a Hyuga. Only the best of Genjutsu users could push the limits of the Byakugan and no amount of pure stealth would help in breaking through their perceptive barrier. As long as you lived and had chakra, there was no chance to get by them. You could hide out of their range. You could hope they were too distracted to watch all areas at once. If you were lucky, you could even find their blind spot.

With these three patrolling the village, it would be hard for any unwanted guest to get in. That mainly applied to anyone below a certain level of skill. A skilled opponent, someone of Jonin level and higher would be able to bypass the three Genin and make there way to where ever they wished.

That or someone with a very powerful cloaking Genjutsu and out of the people possible only one would be moving around at night. That one person was none other then Naruto as he moved to find an isolated clearing outside of the range of Hinata's Byakugan and safe from the noses and ears of Kiba and Akamaru. He wasn't too worried about Shino though but he did have to worry about Kurenai and anyone else that might try to follow or seek him out.

"_**Are you ready for your training?"**_ asked Hikari once Naruto found a suitable clearing.

The only answer she got was when Naruto started to tap his foot to an unheard beat. Soon he started to move around the clearing, dancing to a song that only he could hear. To anyone watching it would seem completely wild serve no purpose. If they continued watching, they would see something very strange starting to happen inside of the little clearing.

The wind started to pick up as Naruto continued moving around. Small wisps of blue fire started to swirl around, will-o-wisp like as he continued to spin and thrust his arms and legs. The weather continued picking up as he started to send smalls blasts of wind and fire around, Leaves would fall from the trees and he would then target them with his various attacks as he continued to dance.

Now anyone watching could see how the dance he was doing was obviously a style of attacks. Even when he wasn't sending out wind or fire, the distinct attacks could be seen as he fought an imaginary opponent. Soon the opponent wasn't imaginary as Naruto paused long enough to create a band of Shadow Clones.

An intricate dance started as the clones moved to attack their creator.

To the eyes of the one watching it is was unbelievable. Never before had she seen such attacks before, or a person who could use the elements in such a way. Even when they all called forth their Tonfa, could she believe what she was seeing.

Her son was twisting and bending in ways that most other men and some women could only dream. She was sure that when he did the splits the Inuzuka would be cringing in pain. The way he moved really did look like nothing but a dance.

'_Anyone trained with a sword would know just how deadly a dance could be though. The passion he is showing and the wild movements show that this is more then just some forms for a fighting style, it truly is a dance,'_ observed Motoko as she felt pride swell in her chest.

Finally, after several hours Naruto slowed down and collapsed against a tree covered in sweat. Motoko didn't hesitate to move and sit by her son as she offered him some water to drink.

"How long have you been there Kaa-san?"

"Long enough. You'll have to tell me where you learn that some day though," answered Motoko as she wrapped an arm around Naruto and pulled him closer.

When she did that, Naruto snuggled up to her and leaned his head on her shoulder and just sat there enjoying being near his mother. Neither said anything as Naruto cooled down and Motoko just enjoyed the feeling of being with her son. When the silence was finally broken, it was done by Motoko as she decided to air a few things out with Naruto.

"Naruto, I need to tell you a few things that a very important, more so after what I heard you say last night about Orochimaru," said the woman finally and she turned to look down at her son. When she saw and felt him nod his head, she continued on with what she had to say, knowing he would pay close attention.

"I don't know of any other way to put it, other then just going straight to the point. Based on the things you know about me, our clan, and Orochimaru you can probably figure out our relationship to one another," said Motoko.

Naruto nodded his head slowly. It was something he had often thought about once he found out about his mother and the things she was known for. Most of all it was based upon the fact that she wielded the only sword known to be the perfect counter of Orochimaru's Kusanagi. He just wondered how close their relationship really was.

"I'm saddened to say that the bastard is my Uncle," spat Motoko with as much venom as she could muster.

"He betrayed our clan by experimenting on our kinsmen, including my family. I was with Sarutobi-sama when we raided his lab and discovered some of the sicker things he had done. I would have chased him to the ends of the earth had I not needed to try to save the people locked within his lab," added Motoko as she gripped Naruto tighter.

Naruto sat there listening, knowing she needed to get his off her chest. After hearing that he wanted to kill him, he could guess that she was worried that he might bite off more then he could chew with this quest.

"Now that I think about it, I think I was just fooling myself with the need to stay behind to help. There were other ANBU members there that could have handled things. I think I was just afraid of what might happen… This being right after I had learned that I was pregnant with you," continued the woman as she leaned her head down and buried it in Naruto's hair.

"Despite being one of the toughest female ANBU I was panicked about having to protect another life that was inside of me. A life that could easily be taken if I did anything foolish. It wasn't like protecting a subordinate or client. I had to look out for something that couldn't be healed easily with medical chakra… Because of that I let the bastard escape and because of that you and others have had to suffer," finished Motoko finally.

"_**Who would have thought that the crazy woman who attacked me so fiercely when I attacked had such a soft spot,"**_ commented Hikari when the tale finished.

'_Shut up Nee-chan! The situations were different. Even if she didn't fight you, you could have killed her or me! With Orochi-teme there wasn't any such threat at the time,'_ snapped Naruto, as he took offensive to the comments of his adopted Sister.

"_**I was only joking. I just find it amazing what humans are capable of at times. The will to protect and survive works in so many different ways,"**_ soothed Hikari, knowing she may have crossed a line.

Instead of answering Naruto just wrapped his arms around his mom and buried his head further into her chest. The calm breathing of mother and son slowly had an effect on the other as they each started to slip into dreamland.

* * *

_**Fire Country**_

Shikamaru stood where the bridge from Wave Country would be connecting to the Land of Fire. Already he could see the great bridge on the other side of the channel as the wind blew the mist away.

He of course had drawn the short straw for the night watch, and could hardly wait until he was able to go and wake his replacement. Having the first watch was always annoying since it tended to be the longest watch of them all. Still though it let him enjoy the night and the ocean breeze.

'_I wonder what everyone else is up to over there. Knowing Naruto though he'll be up to no good,'_ thought the Nara as he walked down the shoreline of the small village.

Once the bridge from Wave Country connected, there was little doubt that this small village would come back to life. The Fishing and Shipping industry would explode since Gatohh's strangle hold would finally be broken. It would mean more jobs, revenue, supplies, and be an all around boost for the economy in Wave and Fire Country. The numbers of missions for this part of the country would probably increase as well and with that, the need for special training since merchant ships would need protection.

'_Just thinking about all that work makes me tired,'_ added the boy as he thought of the missions he could be sent on in the future.

"Still though, at least it would have all been worth it. Freeing this village and ending the business of a scumbag like Gatohh. It isn't like we didn't have our work cut out for us with this mission either, having to constantly take down ships, unload them, and then keep track of all the prisoners," said the boy as he stopped at a small dock built for personal boats.

Looking out across the waters, he saw something that struck him as very strange. Blue lights were flying around like lightning bugs. On the water, in the trees, and a few times he would swear that they were IN the water as well. Blinking his eyes clear, and looking again only served to make him believe he was seeing things, since the strange lights were now gone. Mumbling to himself about lack of sleep, he continued on with his small patrol of the village.

It was nearing the end of his watch when he started to hear some distant shouts. Rushing over in the direction, he thought they were coming from; he stopped at the beach and looked out across the waters. Whatever the shouts were they were coming from some where in the little country. Not close to where the bridge was, but still seemed like a threat.

"Surprised you heard them as well," said a gruff voice from beside Shikamaru, causing the boy to jump and spin around.

"Asuma-sensei don't do that," whispered the boy harshly as he fought to keep from yelling at his bearded teacher.

"Looks like Gatohh is gathering up some troops for an attack. The way they are partying makes me believe it will be some time tomorrow," said the man as he ignored his student's request.

"What do we do," asked the Nara as he watched his teacher pull out a telescope he had confiscated from one of the ships.

"Nothing. We can't leave here until the relief squad gets here. They are slated to be here by midday, and once they get here we can head on over," said the Sarutobi as he tried to see what was going on.

"What about Naruto and the others," demanded Shikamaru.

"Simple, we let them handle things how they wish. I don't doubt that it might be a difficult fight for them, but at the same time I'm sure one of them will hear all of this noise and report it or investigate it," said the man as he turned away and pocketed his telescope.

Asuma kept on walking and left Shikamaru there thinking over everything. He knew the boy was smart enough to realize that Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Naruto, Kurenai, or even Kakashi would have noticed the racket. Even though he knew that, it wouldn't let him sleep any easier that night.

* * *

_**Team 8**_

Night gave way to day and Tram 8 gave way to Team 7.

The day started early for the group in the little home, with Tazuna and Kaiza wanting to get an early start that day. The absence of Naruto and Motoko didn't go unnoticed by everyone, but was quickly forgotten when Kakashi told them not to worry.

So while they were a man down, again, Iruka, Team 7, and Rin made their way towards the bridge in hopes of getting more done today then they did the previous day. With the success they had the previous day and any threat of attack buried everyone was in high spirits, the civilians at least.

That didn't last long once the group made it to the bridge and noticed the dense mist. Add in the bodies littered across the road and bridge and you now had a very worried group of civilians and Shinobi. Before Rin or Sakura could rush to the nearest body a voice could be heard echoing from within the mist.

"What's this? The Hyuga bitch and her slut of a Sensi stayed home this time I see. What a real shame, I was looking forward to paying them back for the last time we met. Though it seems that the blond bastard isn't with this group either," said Zabuza before chuckling at the gasps he heard.

"I'd tell you to turn the Bridge builder and the fisherman over to me, but I know how pathetic you Konoha scum are. I guess we should go straight to the gutting and slaying of each other," added Zabuza as he walked out of the mist, sword on his shoulder and Haku at his side.

"Momochi Zabuza, I had hoped your dreams of continuing this had been dashed after being beaten by Hinata," countered Kakashi nonchalantly.

To his credit, Zabuza didn't show any outward reaction. The only sign of his anger was the sudden spike in killing intent. The signs of his were easily seen as it took affect on Sasuke, Sakura, Kaiza, Tazuna, and the wounded.

"Count yourself lucky Zabuza that Naruto isn't here," cut in Iruka in an attempt to distract the Mist-nin.

"Naruto… Is that his name? The blond bastard who destroyed two of my tools and nearly took my sword from me?" asked the man as he slammed his sword down.

'_This isn't good! He said he wanted to go straight to fighting, but he is willing to delay everything. He knows that as long as he is right there we won't move to heal the wounded. He knows that we would leave ourselves open to an attack, and that doesn't include any traps they may have set on the wounded before hand,'_ thought Rin as she listened to the banter between the three Shinobi.

Beside her, she could see that Sasuke was itching for a fight. The chance to fight someone Naruto had fought and barely escaped with his life. The chance to test his strength against someone as formidable as Zabuza was rumored to be.

Sakura seemed to be more distressed about the situation. Being right there and not being able to help the wounded and dieing men around her. It was something that would eat at any new medic. In a tense situation like this where killing intent was fluctuating on both sides. It was going to grate on the nerves of anyone who wasn't use to such intense situations.

"Enough talk Zabuza. You wanted to fight so let's fight already," yelled Kakashi, having seen the look Rin and Sakura were casting about the field of carnage.

'_I know I've seen that look from someone before,'_ thought Kakashi as he pulled a kunai out and charged Zabuza with Iruka right behind him.

"Fine, Haku take care of the others," yelled Zabuza before he went to meet the charge of Kakashi and Iruka.

The sound of metal reverberated across the bridge as kunai and sword clashed. At the same time, Iruka broke off from his charge and moved to intercept Haku. Faux Hunter-nin and Chunin met in a clash of kunai and senbon. At the same time, Sasuke jumped in the air and hurled several shuriken at the boy in an attempt to sneak in an attack.

All opponents separated as they braced themselves to charge again, or to retreat for a second in an attempt to suck their foe into some form of trap.

Zabuza wasted little time in conjuring up a thick cloud of mist, hoping to play to his strengths.

Kakashi seeing this action moved to uncover his Sharingan eye in hopes of being able to stave off any attack by the man with the monstrous sword.

Haku started making several hand seals in quick progression with Iruka quickly mirroring his actions. At nearly the same time several water clones were conjured out of thin air and moved to attack their creator's opponent.

Sasuke sat at the edge of the fight between Iruka and Haku, waiting for a chance to strike and at the same time trying to watch the fight going on between Kakashi and Zabuza.

"I'd never seen the likes of this before," mumbled Tazuna as he watched the different Shinobi fighting, slightly awed at it all.

He may have known Rin and Motoko but that didn't mean he got to see all of their battles. One of the first Shinobi battles he had ever actually seen was Team 8 against Zabuza. The difference between the two was evident though as Zabuza and Kakashi battled fiercely, from what he could see and hear from the thick mist.

Iruka, Sasuke, and Haku's battle was mostly a class of Ninjutsu and minor weapons, with Sasuke covering his teacher from the deadly Senbon used by the hunter-nin. That didn't mean Iruka was defenseless.

"Tazuna, this is nothing. You should have seen them all out on the sea," said Kaiza as he stood beside the man.

He had helped Rin move some of the wounded to a safer area, where Tazuna was standing, and watched the fighting as he did. He had been lucky enough to see the battle at sea, so what he was seeing now wasn't as impressive. That of course didn't keep him from being awed at the sounds of Kakashi's battle and the brief glimpses of what he saw of it.

"This is nothing though. Zabuza and his partner haven't become serious yet," cut in Rin as she focused on the fight.

Sakura, Tazuna, and Kaiza looked at her wondering what she meant. To them it seemed like both sides were serious.

"The reason Zabuza is still alive right now isn't because we let him live," admitted Rin finally.

"As for his partner, Naruto-kun fought against him before and mentioned that the person had a special Kekkei Genkai. The ability to control water and combine wind and water natured chakra to form Ice," added the woman as she stood by and watched.

A gasp was heard coming from Sakura who quickly pointed over to where Iruka was fighting. Shards of ice were now flying at the Chunin who was doing everything he could to avoid the projectiles. At the same time, Sasuke was rolling and dodging his own share of weapons as Haku decided to kick things up a notch.

"Looks like it is starting," whispered Rin as she looked over to where her former teammate was fighting.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

Naruto woke slowly and nuzzled into the warmth he felt on his shoulder. He felt at peace with the world, and completely safe. In the past he had only felt this when he fell asleep in the arms of Hikari, Anko, and Ibiki. He couldn't help but smile as he added another person to the short list of people who made him feel at peace with the world as he opened his eyes and smiled up at his mother.

"Time to wake up Naruto-kun, your time has probably already gone to the bridge by now," whispered Motoko before kissing him on the top of the head.

Nodding, Naruto slowly started to unwrap himself and stand up. Stretching, he casually looked around the clearing they had fallen asleep in.

'_Something isn't right,'_ realized Naruto as he continued to act oblivious to this information.

Next to him, he could see that his mother was already well aware of the danger that was around them. Both were doing their best to hide the fact that they were aware and trying to find the location of the disturbing feeling.

_**Be careful, these are not like the ones you fought the other day. They are much more powerful and their numbers are slightly higher,"**_ added Hikari as she tried to feel out the situation.

Finally though the silence was broken as a twig snapped, signally the start of the chaos that was about to ensue.

Weapons started flying from all directions as Naruto and Motoko rolled, deflected, jumped, and did every trick they could thing of to avoid the storm of death. Soon that proved not to be enough, causing the duo to resort to using Ninjutsu.

"_**Doton: Doryuu Heki**_ (Earth Style: Wall)," yelled Motoko as she spit out a large amount of mud that quickly solidified into rock.

Knowing she was safe for the moment, she looked towards Naruto and nearly gaped as he blew forth a blast of wind. It wasn't that he performed a Futon jutsu that surprised her; just that he did it without seals or saying the name of the technique.

'_Performing the __**Futon: Daitoppa**__ (Great Breakthrough) without hand seals of saying to name to help focus on the technique… It seems that bastard of an Uncle may have helped you more then hurt you,'_ mused Motoko as she thought about how dangerous this made Naruto in battle.

Of course, it wasn't a fully charged attack, since that would have leveled the trees and not just deflected the weapons. It did serve to send many of the weapons back at the original users, and flush them out.

Mother and Son were not disappointed as several masked figures jumped out of the foliage and did their best to glare from behind their porcelain masks. Soon those people were joined by several others, each wearing a non-descript mask and cloak.

"So, you guys have shown up again, and in such numbers. I'm truly amazed that you would send this many people after me, knowing what I did to the last group," growled Motoko as she started to understand who was now attacking her.

"You know these people Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto as he backed into his mother and eyed their opponents.

"I have a feeling I know who they are. The last group that attacked me and looked like this happened to be sent by a senile old bastard. The only reason I could get out of the man I tortured was that Danzo wanted to make sure you could never truly reclaim your father's possessions," stated the woman as she cracked her neck and shoulders.

If he could Naruto would have turned to look at his mother, surprised at her statement. It wasn't the first time such things had happened. In the time he had lived at the home of his father there had been several break-ins, in which people tried to get into the Library or murder Naruto in his sleep. Until now, they never really had proof of who was doing it.

"How about we show them how our family deals with scum," asked Naruto as he crossed his arms.

"Spoken like my son," was all Motoko said before she charged forward and attacked the first person that she came across.

Naruto did the same, unsealing his Tonfa from the bracers on his arm as he did so. The boy danced between attacks, bending backwards to avoid slashes, and flipping to counter attack. If a person over extended, Naruto would try to capitalize on it. When that didn't work, he would roll over their back, and slash while trying to fend off any other attacks.

Motoko wasn't as kind with her opponents, often dealing with them in the quickest way possible. Several male opponents found themselves being kicked in the groin. On one such occasion, she had grabbed a man by his scrotum while delivering a back kick to another of the masked Nin attacking her from behind. She kept a hold of the man for several minutes as she fended off the attacks from his peers. Several times, she switched hands but the pressure seemed to always be there.

It was only when she lifted the man, causing him to scream and Naruto to wince, and threw him at some of his recovering friends that the pressure was released. That was done as she quickly ducked down, and twisted around behind a person who had just tried to take off her head. She quickly disarmed the Nin and broke the arm before slashing the person across the back with his own Ninja-to.

"It seems Danzo still believes in quantity and not quality," remarked the woman dryly as she observed the _Ne_ agents on the ground.

Soon though clapping could be heard coming from the trees. It caused the two Shinobi in the middle of the clearing to look towards the noise, and made them tense with it paused briefly.

During that pause though a new sound could be heard, the sound of a giant shuriken sailing through the air. With it heading right at Naruto, and him being closer to it, Motoko could only watch as her son spun a Tonfa so that the main portion of it went away from his body. It was soon coated in chakra and seemed to slice through the projectile like a knife through butter.

As the two halves fell to the ground around Naruto, the boy narrowed his eyes as he started to pick up a scent he hadn't smelled for years. The same scent of a man who had tried to kill him when he had returned with Tsunade and Jiraiya. The scent of a man who was supposed to be rotting away in prison until the end of time.

"Mizuki-teme!" howled Naruto, causing the wind to roar as the man stepped out from the tree line with a menacing smile on his face.

"I'm pleased that you remember me Naruto-kun. I'm pleased to see that the reports of your decline in skill must have been exaggerated. Now I can take true pleasure in draining you of your life," taunted the man as he paused and looked around the clearing. Then with a smile on his face, he casually spit down towards the ground.

Naruto paid little attention to this, until he saw that the object that was spat out by the traitor turned into a small red orb of fire.

The eyes of Naruto and Motoko widened when they caught the scent that the blood had been masking up until that point. Oil. Oil now surrounded the pair and was soon about to be ignited. As the ember struck the oil, a large blaze came to life. Mizuki cackled gleefully as he saw the wide-eyed doe look in Naruto's eyes as the fire roared to life. He took great pleasure in knowing the boy was still deathly afraid of fire on some level.

"I thought I'd take it upon myself to prepare your funeral pyre Naruto-kun! After all the earth doesn't want demons buried in it," yelled Mizuki as the fire grew in size.

Motoko could do nothing but watch as the fire seemed to move to keep her separated from Naruto. Had she acted sooner she might have been able to make it over to him. Since she was caught by surprise as well, the oil had managed to seep between the two and separate them.

She tried yelling to her son to get him to snap out of his stupor. Try as she might though nothing seemed to wake the boy up as the fire slowly started to consume the area that they both occupied.

* * *

_**Team 8**_

Shino frowned as he listened to the reports coming in from his Kikaichu. From what he could gather, a fight had started up on the bridge, leaving several wounded civilians and Iruka and Sasuke fighting for their lives against the faux-nin that was helping Zabuza.

Across the island, he could already see smoke rising into the air as the crude oil burned. His bugs were already reporting in about Naruto and his mother fighting in that location. Things had seemed to be going rather well for the two until Mizuki had shown up and set fire to the small island they were on.

The most unsettling thing about it all though was that he could do nothing to help either group. While he had this information, he also had information on a small group of men heading his way, towards the house that Tsunami and the others were in. The most he could do right now was pray they would be safe while he warned his team of the danger coming their way. It was easy to warn Kurenai and to wake up Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru.

"Alright, Inari is in his room on the second floor; he should be fairly safe there," stated Kurenai as her students gathered.

"Sensei, I can see roughly thirty of them, most are blocking the boardwalk that leads here to the house. Right now seven are coming down the walkway towards the house," said Hinata as she looked around with her Byakugan.

Kurenai nodded to the Hyuga, not liking the numbers. At least they didn't appear to have any boats. That meant that if things became too much to handle they could easily escape across the water with Tsunami and Inari.

"Hinata, I want you to go upstairs and attack from the roof. Also, be sure to intercept any attacks that they may try to do from the house. When they realize they won't be able to break it, they may try burning the place down with us inside," ordered Kurenai, who smiled as the Hyuga quickly ran up the stairs.

Everyone caught a glimpse of the small girl quickly summoning something from a scroll she had pulled out. Only the members of Team 8 had a clue as to what it could be though.

"Tsunami, the safest place for you right now is probably going to be upstairs with Hinata and Inari. Just take Inari into one of the rooms in the center of the house and stay there until one of us come to get you. You should be safe from any stray weapon fire there if you stay close to the floor and in the tub," added Kurenai as she turned to the slightly older woman.

The remaining members of Team 8 watched the woman run up stairs before they turned towards the main entrance to the house. There were no windows that could be used to gain entry there, just the front door.

"Waraji just kick the door down," said one of the men who had walked up to the house.

Shino and Kurenai frowned at the bold action being taken by the men. They weren't even trying to hide their presence. Had they been Shinobi that would normally mean they had another way of attacking. Since they appeared to be nothing more then hired thugs though that didn't seem likely.

"Don't let your guard down," stated Kurenai firmly as she noticed Kiba starting to smirk.

At that moment, the door was kicked open by the first wave of men. Five men in total rushed in through the front door with weapons drawn. It didn't take the Shinobi long to react to the sudden intrusion, as Shino released a cloud of insects which quickly overwhelmed the group. The screams that followed was more then enough to shake up Tsunami, Inari, and the other men Gatoh had sent that were still on land.

The first man to try to charge the house was stopped by an arrow to the shoulder from Hinata on the roof. At his cry of pain the others quickly looked to find the assailant. Others tried to charge down the path, knowing the attack had to come from the house. They two were struck by arrows as the Hyuga archer thrummed her bow.

Soon the ones who had rushed into the house came stumbling out and crawling towards the water. The two who had stayed outside retreated from the front door as quickly as possible, hoping to avoid the same fate as their comrades.

Waraji and Zori now stood on land facing the house and scowling as they noticed the archer on top of the house and the other Konoha Shinobi around the house. Things had gone from an easy snatch and grab, thinking that all the Shinobi would be at the bridge, to the siege of a small house.

"Tch, what do we do now? That old fart built the house on the water and we forgot to bring boats," muttered Waraji as he played with his sword.

"We could always try to set the place on fire," answered his partner.

"The Boss wanted us to take someone from his family as hostage though."

Both men stood their silently, not knowing that they were being watched by the eyes of Hinata. She did her best to read their lips, but with them constantly turning around it made it rather difficult for the novice lip-reader.

"What about some of that old stuff the Boss wanted us to test out before he tried selling it?" asked the man with the jacket finally as he looked back to into the ranks of men they had brought.

The man with the eye patched smiled, knowing this would be one of the times something they had dug up from the past might come in handy. Of course, they hadn't planned to use it here. The plan was to capture Tsunami or Inari, and then go with the rest of the men to the bridge. With an archer on the roof, and the bug using ninja in the house, it would make storming the home more then a little difficult.

"Alright, Hayato get up here and set up to fire at that house. Be sure to set up so the person on the roof can't get you," yelled Waraji.

Hinata watched as a man pulled a tube shaped object off his back. It wasn't that big, just roughly the length of her arm. What made it odd was the small base plate on the device and the bi-pod like legs that folded down to support the tube. Soon the man looked like he was testing the wind direction and started to adjust the tube.

Once it looked like he was done, he reached into the pack on his back and pulled out an object Hinata had never seen before. If she had to guess, it looked like a firework, but she had never seen one encased in metal before. He dropped the device into the tube while turning and yelling something that Hinata had only heard used when explosives were in use.

The next thing she knew she could hear an eerie sound and then a splash. Seconds later an explosion rocked the house and nearly caused the girl to fall from the room. With wide eyes she turned back to where the man was making adjustments once again after having shot over his target.

Even as she notched her bow and prepared to fire she could hear and see her sensei running up the stairs to find out what just happened. She didn't let that bother her though as she started to pour chakra into her arrow and tried to focus on the man she HAD to take out before he started to accurately fire.

Just as Kurenai jumped to the roof, Hinata let fly an arrow. At the same time, the man named Hayato had already dropped another of the strange objects into the tube. The eerie sound came again just as her arrow left her bow.

Seconds later her world became chaos as an explosion threw her off the roof in a sea of splinters. She could hear Kurenai's shouts of pain and desperation. Akamaru was howling inside of the house and Kiba was cursing. Tsunami was screaming and Inari could be heard crying, as Hinata's world seemed to slow.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

Yes, the Wave mission isn't over yet. I'm amazed at how much time I'm spending with it though, and I know I need to move on. With so many things happening and events to cover I just keep bogging myself down with wanting to cover them, and try to sneak some developement in when I can. As you can tell though things are going to be wrapped up soon, with Part 2 of Hurricane Rising being the conclusion of this arc.

I know some people may be angry with me or questioning why I introduced something like the Mortar. It is just a small thing, and there may be other weapons or devices from our time period pop up. For the characters in the story though they will all be ancient weapons.

Despite that, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm kind of surprised that Naruto is doing training where he has to become in touch with Nature, in the manga. It reminded me of his fighting style that I will have him using, where he has to become get in touch with the elements. Enough talk about the manga though.

_**

* * *

**_

Jutsu

_**Doton: Doryuu Heki**_ (Earth Style Wall): A defensive Ninjutsu technique. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and then spew a line of mud onto the ground. The mud will then grow into a large mud wall to help defend against incoming attacks.

_**Futon: Daitoppa**__ (_Great Breakthrough_):_ A Ninjutsu technique, which utilizes the Wind Element. After bringing his/her hand to his mouth, a Shinobi will blow a large blast of wind capable of leveling almost anything in its way.


	19. Hurricane Rising Part 2

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

_**

* * *

**_

Author Note:

Yes, it has been some time. I'm sorry about that. I seem to be saying that a lot lately. One of the biggest reasons for this taking so long is partly due to Hurricane Ike that hit here in Texas and left me without power for nearly a month. At the same time I ended up losing a great deal of information that I already had written out.

During this time my Grandfather passed away from the stress of the Hurricane and dealing with the cleanup and aftermath. This left my Grandmother's world shattered and caused tremors in the family. That along with the need to find work, money makes the world go round and makes everyone happy, life has consumed a large amount of my time.

Despite all of that though I know I should have done something. I've said it before and I will say it again until I actually do it. I will try to do better then I have in the past. Just bear with me as I try to juggle things.

I'm sorry for the long note, but I felt it better to place this at the beginning rather then at the end where it might be skipped by most people.

* * *

_**Hurricane Rising Part 2**_

Shikamaru stood in the small town and watched as the clouds of smoke started to rise towards the sky. The thick oily smoke could only mean trouble to him, and he could do nothing about it with out breaking their standing orders.

'_Do I go off half-cocked like Naruto or stand around here waiting for the damn back up that should have been here already,'_ thought the prodigy as he started to pace the street.

The people of the village watched the boy mumbling to himself as he walked in circle.

They were at first afraid of the members of Team 10, thinking that they would bring the power of Gatoh down upon the small village. After watching what Naruto did they had only thought the worst of things to come. That slowly changed as they witnessed the team relieve Gatoh's men of their goods and then handed them out to the village.

They even had a few laughs, thanks to the Shinobi. Shikamaru had played the tape of his interrogation of the men. He even put on a shadow puppet show for the kids while they waited for things to happen.

So to now see the boy so troubled caused them to be just a little troubled as well. It caused them all to look towards the Land of Waves with interest as they saw the strange events unfolding. The strange storm that had come up from no where. The explosions that could be heard off in the distance. If they listened carefully they could hear the sound of weapons clanging together from across the bridge.

Despite how ominous many of those things might have been it wasn't until the signs of a fire showed up that Shikamaru had grown anxious.

"Hey Shika," greeted Choji as he walked up to his friend, and startled him. The Nara just nodded his head as his large friend came to a stop beside him.

"Worried about everything going on over there," said Choji stating rather then questioning.

"Yeah… I'm afraid of what is going on. That strange storm the other night, the will-o-wisps last night, and now the clouds are starting to darken again over there. Even for this time of year this is odd and ominous weather for this country. That black smoke rising isn't helping me much either."

Both stood there watching as the billowing smoke continued to rise up into the darkening sky. They both had their own feelings about what might be going on over there. That was also the reason they decided not to voice what they felt. Both Shinobi felt that if they actually voiced their concerns then the worst might happen.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

'_Haha I hope you enjoy being back in hell demon!'_

'_How does it feel to burn like my wife!'_

'_What's wrong Fox can't stand the heat?'_

'_It's about time someone finished the job the Yondaime couldn't!'_

'_Naruto!'_

'_Naruto!'_

"_**NARUTO!"**_

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself within the confines of his mind. He looked up through tear streaked eyes towards the voice he had heard calling him. Things started to come into focus slowly and finally revealed a panicked Hikari.

"Nee-chan?" asked Naruto as he slowly came to.

"_**Naru-chan, I know you are scared but now is not the time to freeze."**_ shouted Hikari, trying to do what she could to stay calm, and comfort Naruto.

Unfortunately she was having a hard time due to the fire rapidly closing in on them.

"_**Snap out of it Otouto! I need you right now! Your mother needs you!"**_ yelled Hikari as Naruto's eyes started to glass over again.

Instead of answering Hikari he fell down to the ground and started to curl up again. His fear once again getting the better of him as he remembered the event that caused his fear. He could remember the smell of his own flesh and hair burning. He could feel the phantom pains of the blisters that started to form on his arms and legs. The scent of the clothes he had worn at the time burning into his skin. Most of all he could hear the jeers of the men who had done it all. He could hear Tenten's crying and pleading as she tried to break free and help him.

Hikari was starting to really worry now. While time might be "slower" in the realm of the mind, it didn't mean they had days to go before the fire burned them to death. She could always use her chakra to try to shield him, but who knows what other changes he might go through because of that. There was also the chance that it could end up killing him if she used too much.

'_**What am I going to do? If I can't snap him out of it soon…'**_ thought Hikari as she started to resign herself to death.

Just as she was about to give up though she felt a twinge. At the same time she saw Naruto flinch when she felt what ever it was. The feeling came again and again. It was almost like a beacon, calling to them.

"_**HINATA NEEDS YOU,"**_ shouted Hikari when she realized what she was feeling.

Naruto's leg twitched at her words.

"_**She is in trouble. Your friends are in trouble! Your family is in trouble!"**_

Again Naruto was twitching as her words stated to sink in.

"_**You promised all of them that you would be there when they need you. If you give up now you will have gone back on your word and let them down. My OTOUTO would NEVER do that,"**_ yelled the woman as she noticed the lights flickering within his mind.

Naruto slowly started to stir and prop himself up with his arms. It seemed liked eternity as the boy fumbled to support himself and kept falling flat on his face. Finally he managed to support his upper body and sat there with his head hanging down towards the floor.

"_**By staying down you are letting those bastards win. At the same time you are letting them take everything that is precious from you. You've let down Gamabunta, your father, and right now you are letting your mother down who is going to watch you burn to death," **_screamed Hikari this time as tears started to fall from her eyes.

This time Naruto's head snapped up and had fire burning in his eyes as he looked into the eyes of the woman who had taken him in as a brother.

* * *

Motoko turned from where she was locked in battle with the man her son had called Mizuki. She could feel a surge of chakra building from where Naruto was. The man she had been fighting stopped grinning madly as he felt the overwhelming power wash over him.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD! Why won't you die demon," yelled the man as what was left of his mind started to leave him.

A great wind started to pick up, fanning the flames of the fire. Soon that wind was joined by blue flames that started to engulf the flames of the fire started by Mizuki. Soon the crimson and orange flames were replaced with the ethereal blue flames she had seen Naruto using the night before. As the wind continued blowing it too started to pick up in intensity, almost as if she was in an actual storm.

Leaves were pulled form branches as the clouds in the sky started to spiral downwards towards the ground. Debris started to fly in every direction as the wind continued to pick up speed. Soon everyone had to hold themselves down with chakra in their feet as everything was sucked towards Naruto.

Then with an explosion of wind and debris everyone was sent for cover as the wind and fire lashed out at everything around the central vortex.

Then it all vanished as quickly as it started.

No more wind. No more fire. The only thing in the air was the leaves that were just not starting to fall back down to the forest floor. A light mist had settled in the small clearing, as did a light sprinkling of rain.

Where Naruto was once standing there was nothing but the charring of the fire. No body, no sign of anyone having been in the fire. The only thing that might have been considered a sign of someone being there was the indention in the ground that went down several feet, and looked as if someone had carved a spiral design into the forest floor.

A _Ne_ member slowly walked to where a charred circle was and was surprised when something slammed into his chest and sent him flying. The others saw the blur that had slammed into their comrade and quickly sent what ever weapon they could flying at the area.

Metal on metal sounds could be heard as the blur shimmered and became visible to reveal Naruto spinning and deflecting weapons with his Tonfa.

Everything snapped back to life at this as Motoko grabbed up her discarded weapon and swung at the maddened Chunin with her face contorted in rage. The man seemed to notice the attacked and quickly brought up a kunai to parry the blow. It was now that he found himself under a savage assault of a very pissed of mother.

"You tried to kill my son multiple times! You tried to burn him to death twice! You made his friend WATCH as you tried to burn him once. NOW you try to make his mother watch on as her son dies! You DARE TO RUIN ONE OF THE FEW MOMENTS I COULD HAVE WITH MY SON!" screamed the woman, punctuating each sentence with a slash at the man.

By now Mizuki was realizing just how bad things had become. Around the clearing he could see _NE_ members dropping from an invisible assault. He himself was being torn into by a possessed woman, who he had just found out minutes ago was the mother of the demon he had wanted to skill. None of this information had been given to him by Danzo. Nothing he was told by Danzo would have prepared him for the fury of the assault that he was now under.

With a final slash from Motoko he was sent stumbling to the ground with a slice across his chest. Looming over him was Motoko with a murderous look on her face as she flicked the blood off the stolen sword. As he looked up into the woman's crimson eyes he soon became aware of the lack of sound coming from the others that were in the clearing. The only sound he was able to pick up was the sound of foot steps coming closer to him.

Naruto now stood in front of the former Chunin with cold blue eyes as he growled at the man.

"I was stupid to plead with Ojii-san to spare your life. I should have let him execute you the way he wanted to. Just like he did with those people who attacked me all those years ago. I thought that maybe if I tried being nice back to you and everyone else that treated me like crap things might change," stated the boy as he looked down at the man.

Looking into Naruto's eyes Mizuki could see nothing good in his future. The cold silver/blue eyes didn't hold the emotions that he was used to seeing in the boy.

"I've wasted enough time here with you; I need to find Hinata-chan and the others. I'll leave everything to you Kaa-san." was all Naruto said before he turned and vanish in a swirl of mist.

Motoko looked down at the Chunin with the same grim expression on her face that Naruto had. The only real difference between the two was the glint of pleasure in her eyes as she delivered the killing blow to the former Chunin of Konoha.

* * *

_**Team 8**_

Hinata waited for cold clutches of the water to hit her. So stunned by what had just happened that she never had the chance to adjust herself while falling. You could imagine her surprise though when she never hit the water. Even more so when she realized she was hanging upside down.

She swung her head around to see who had rescued her. She knew it couldn't be Kurenai, since the Jonin was still on the roof. Kiba was still inside as well with Akamaru, from what she could hear. That only left one other person that might have saved her.

"Thank you Shino-kun," was all she said as while trying to fight back the tears of relief.

She could now feel all of the Kikaichu that were holding onto her leg as she was slowly moved to the wall of the house and an open window. When she was close enough to grab a hold of the house she utilized her chakra to stick there while looking towards the direction of what had thrown her from the roof. The girl smiled grimly when she noticed that thankfully her arrow had hit its mark, striking Hayato in the forehead.

That didn't give her much time to relish in her minor victory though. With her off the roof, and the roof destroyed, that meant it would be easier for the people to rush the house. It would mark one of the few times that she was glad Kiba and Akamaru were on her team.

The two went flying out of the front door in a flurry of motion. Teeth and claws spinning madly as they crashed head on into the ranks of Gatoh's men. The tornadoes tore through the ranks as nin-ken and master finally came to a stop at the end of the walkway kneeling and breathing heavily.

Both Kiba and Akamaru looked the same, each a feral version of Kiba with sharpened claws and canines. The two only paused for a moment though before they moved to meet the charge of the rest of the men under Waraji and Zori.

By now Hinata was firmly planted on the side of the house and could hear Kurenai asking if she was okay. Her ears were ringing still from the explosion but she could imagine that was what the red-eyed woman was asking her. With a nod to her Sensei she turned on her Byakugan to check the area. She made sure to check on Tsunami and Inari first and nearly released her hold on the house when she noticed them under a pile of debris.

Without answering Kurenai or Shino she rushed up the stairs to the pair. She had to check on them and make sure they were safe. She wouldn't be able to look Tazuna in the face or Naruto if she couldn't protect them. Never mind the fact they had been caught off guard by the strange weapon. It might not matter to them but she would always feel like she had failed her mission.

When she had finally made it to the bathroom and started throwing debris out of the way she could already see Inari's little hand sticking up out of the rubble. Seeing that only made her dig faster as she focused with her Byakugan to see if they were injured or worst.

Outside the sounds of battle could be heard as Kiba and Akamaru continued to fight. The sound of Shino's swarms could be heard at the insects dive bombed and attacked in every way an insect could. The only ones not out there in the fight were inside trying to dig up their charges, with Kurenai having realized what Hinata was doing when she rushed upstairs.

When the two were finally uncovered Inari was crying while trying to shake Tsunami with his free arm. The large cut on her forehead didn't do much to settle Hinata's concern. With his right arm free the small boy had taken to trying to shake his mother awake with more vigor, ignoring the broken arm that was just freed. It was only after Hinata rendered him unconscious and Kurenai moved him away for treatment that Hinata got to check Tsunami.

"She seems to be fine right now Sensei. There doesn't seem to be any damage internally, at least not in any vital area. The few internal ones she does have are easy enough to take care of," stated Hinata as she finished checking Tsunami with the Byakugan and a scanning jutsu.

Kurenai nodded as she did a quick patch job on the sleeping boy. She was thankful he had been knocked out. Had he been awake the pain might have been too much. The sounds of fighting had died down and it sounded like the Genin were doing rounds, checking for people they might have missed.

Minutes ticked by and Hinata had finished work on Tsunami and turned to help Kurenai with Inari. By now all sounds coming from outside had stopped. Footsteps could be heard thundering up the stairs, causing Kurenai to jump up with a weapon in her hand. Seeing that Hinata had not reacted though she relaxed, just a little, and completely relaxed when Kiba came around the corner.

The Inuzuka had seen better days, with his clothes ripped and various signs of combat coating his body. The normally white puppy was now coated in the crimson life blood as well, and could be seen in Kiba's hands, whining slightly as the boy came to a stop to look at the rest of the team.

"Everything's under control outside but I need Hinata to take a look at Akamaru! He took a nasty blow from a spear," shouted Kiba as he tried running over to the Hyuga. The Jonin managed to stall him long enough to ask Hinata to check on the pup while she finished wrapping Inari's arm.

Hinata quickly scanned the dog before pulling out a needle and thread. With practiced ease the girl sewed up the small wound on the nin-ken before wrapping a bandage around him and gently handing him back to Kiba.

"It's a relatively minor wound but he won't be fighting any time soon," was the only thing the girl said before going back to check on Tsunami.

By now all the noise that had been going on for the last half hour was starting to gain attention. Villagers had gathered and started to make their way towards the home of the man who was trying to save them. They were armed with what makeshift weapons and were determine to do what they could to save the family of Tazuna.

What they saw surprised them.

Bodies torn asunder by the attacks of Kiba already had flies gathering around them. Those who were still alive were being held down by swarms of bugs as Shino stood in the middle of all the carnage as if it was just another day.

* * *

_**Team 7**_

Iruka and Sasuke stood in a dome of mirrors, waiting for their opponent to make his next move. They both had needles sticking out of various parts of their body but did everything they could to fight through the pain. The effects though could already be seen as the two started slowing down, allowing Haku to score more hits.

There was very little they could do as the attacks always seemed to come from every direction. The Katon and Suiton techniques they had tried on the ice had done nothing to help them out of this situation. If anything they only seemed to make things worst for the trapped Shinobi.

Now the two stood back to back trying to watch every pane of ice around them. That was the easy part for the duo. The hard part was actually being able to react to the attacks in time. With the injuries they had already taken it was becoming nearly impossible for them to dodge or block the attacks.

"I don't know how much longer we can do this Iruka-sensei," whispered Sasuke as he leaned against the teacher who had continued to surprise him during this trip.

The Chunin nodded his head slightly while keeping his eyes up, knowing that Haku seemed to enjoy attacking from above the most.

"We just have to hang on a little longer Sasuke. Hopefully Kakashi will finish Zabuza before long or Naruto will show up," whispered Iruka, hoping that Haku wouldn't over hear their conversation.

Despite their efforts though the faux-nin could hear every word they were saying. At the mention of the person who had taken the lives of Meizu and Gozu he tightened his hands on his senbon. He had promised to Zabuza that he would not hesitate to kill the Konoha Shinobi.

"When we knew that Naruto-kun might be here I was ordered to kill my heart to ensure he and others did not interfere with Zabuza-sama's desires. I have put that off for as long as possible. I am sorry but I must destroy my heart once again and kill the both of you."

The mirrors of ice started to glow as Haku's image started to shimmer. It looked like every other attack that they had faced so far. Yet to Iruka is seemed different. Maybe it was because of how attuned he was with his water affinity. Maybe it was that sixth sense that seasoned Shinobi developed as they progressed through life. What ever it was though told him that the next attack would be the last from the ice user.

In a flash a shower of senbon were sent flying from every mirror around them. The sheer number volume of them made it clear that there would be no deflecting or dodging the attacks. They couldn't slide under them, jump over them, slip between them, and there was nothing that they could ever hope to replace themselves with.

Uchiha Sasuke watched as the attacks closed in on him and felt feat once again. He had never truly feared for his life since the day his brother had turned rogue. With his death now seconds away things just seemed to slow down as he focused on several of the senbon coming towards him.

He could see how the light reflected off the icy points of the leading weapons. How water rippled back on them as they sailed through the air towards him and Iruka. Closer. Closer. He could make out small imperfections on the weapons of ice as the neared him.

Then he was looking at the blocks of the bridge as he was thrown to the ground and a heavy weight settled over him. He felt the weight shake as he heard the sound of the senbon hitting home on what ever had saved him. To the boy under the weight it felt like days had passed when the sound of Haku's senbon had finally stopped.

As time seemed to pick up Sasuke became aware of heavy breathing coming from above him. He could hear the shouts of Sakura from outside of the dome.

'_What is she saying? I thought she had changed, could she still be that crazy about me?'_

He watched as Rin, Tazuna, and Kaiza fought to keep the girl from running over to the dome of ice. The anguish on her face caught his attention first, and then the tears streaking down her cheeks caught his eye. Time continued to return to normal and as it did so did his hearing.

"IRUKA-SENSEI," screamed Sakura.

It was only then that Sasuke remembered his Chunin instructor. It was only then that he could feel the blood of the Chunin soaking into his shirt and pooling under the both of them. It was only then that Sasuke realized just what had actually happened.

"It must have truly cared for you to give his life for you," stated Haku as he stepped out of a mirror.

The ice-nin gasped when Sasuke's head snapped up and fixed him with a crimson eyed glare as the new additions to Sasuke's eyes started spinning madly.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

By the time Naruto had gotten to Tazuna's home he had to jump over all of the villagers, scaring many of them. Many had raised their weapons to attack but stopped when he walked up to Shino. Seeing that the Aburame didn't react to the intrusion they decided to let it go for now. The two conversed briefly before Naruto took off into the house and raced to where he could smell Hinata.

Right as he charged into the room he was caught by surprise as a pair of arms wrapped around.

"We don't have much time you two, if they attacked here then they will likely attack at the bridge as well," cut in Kurenai before either of the two Genin could say anything. Hinata quickly released Naruto and righted herself as she moved to stand beside the boy.

"What is the situation here Kurenai," asked Motoko as she walked into the room, taking charge of everything like she was used to doing as an ANBU member.

The Jonin said nothing about it though as she stated what had occurred and detailed the brief battle that had taken place. When she noticed the sad glimpse towards the unconscious members of Tazuna's family she was quick to confirm that they would be fine and had been treated by Hinata already.

"Secure that damn weapon they used, I'm sure they will want to see it back in Konoha. Take any other strange items from the corpses and prisoners as well to send back to Konoha. There is no telling what other things Gatoh may be using," answered Motoko when Kurenai had finished.

"Shino-kun has already done that. He also mentioned that Naruto-kun might want to take a look at them when he got the chance," added Hinata.

"Before that though I think we should follow Kurenai's advice and make it to the bridge as quickly as we can," said Motoko as she looked towards Naruto who was standing far too still for her liking.

She continued watching her son for several more seconds before frowning and quickly chopping him across the neck, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room. The alarmed shouts at the attack stopped though when they noticed how Naruto reacted to such an attack from a person who seemed to be rather close to him.

What was his reaction?

Well seeing the boy who had surprised many before in his life simple turn into a cloud of smoke was more then enough to cause Kiba to cry out at the display.

"That stupid baka must have known everything was alright, and Shino was probably the one who told him before he got here," mumbled Motoko as she realized where her son was heading.

Hinata herself was surprised, and yet slightly angry as well at what Naruto had done. She knew he could perform several cloning techniques. Yet she had expected him to come there in person to check on things. It made her angry that the boy she loved, and who seemed to love her wouldn't come to check on her.

Anger soon gave way to understanding though as she remembered what she had heard about Naruto and Zabuza. Knowing that Iruka was there fighting the man who Naruto despised so much was probably the only reason he had not come in person. He knew she was safe and he had decided to leave her in the capable hands of one of his best friends.

"Sensei I think we should go to the bridge now," stated Hinata firmly.

The Jonin leader of Team 8 could only nod. The fact that now Inari and Tsunami were showing signs of waking up only confirmed her choice that now it might be time to start worrying about the other targets of interest.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

Naruto did his best not to let the information from his clone slow him down. He had to hand it to his mother; she managed to pick it up when Hinata and the others, except Shino, couldn't.

'_That just means she is going to chew me out when she catches up with me,'_ thought the boy.

He had to sigh at the thought. As much as he loved his family he could do with out the smothering concern they all held for him. Not that he blamed them for being worried about him. It was just that it felt like he always had to walk on egg shells when he was around the female portion of his small family. Even when he injured himself training a few of them would blow it out of proportion.

'_I still wouldn't trade it all for the world,'_ amended the boy. As much as he hated being smothered by their affection, he could live with it.

It just meant he had a reason to pull pranks on them to get even.

He was pulled from his thoughts though as he landed on a rooftop by the bridge and observed the scene.

He could hear the sound of Kakashi and Zabuza fighting off in the mist. From the sound of things Zabuza was a lot faster and stronger then he had been when they last fought.

'_Even his sword sounds like it is heavier,'_ observed the boy as the sound of metal clashing floated up to him.

Sakura and Rin were busy fixing up the few wounded workers that they could get to without leaving Kaiza and Tazuna open to attacks. The two clients themselves looked to be fairly fine, with the exception of a paled Tazuna and Kaiza. Wondering what had caused this reaction he looked to where the men were currently looking and instantly paled.

There in a puddle of blood was Iruka with several needles sticking out of his body. Even with his enhanced eyesight he couldn't tell if the man was breathing or not. It was taking every ounce of his willpower to keep him from running into the dome of death created by Haku. As much as he wanted to avenge the man, he knew running in wouldn't be the best thing to do right now.

Seeing Sasuke battling Haku and actually avoiding some of the moves did cause him to smile slightly. He knew how fast Haku had been years ago. For Sasuke to be able to avoid some of the attacks now meant that he must have finally unlocked his Sharingan at some point in the battle. With one final look at Iruka's still body he jumped down to where Rin, Sakura, Tazuna, and Kaiza were gathered.

His arrival startled the four, and if it wasn't for his quick reflexes he might have been punched into a building by Sakura. Thankfully though he managed to deflect her blow and avoid any injury from the medic training under Tsunade.

Tazuna and Kaiza were shocked to see blood on the boy, the blood in his bright blond hair really standing out. The other thing that stood out to most of them was the fact that his clothes were burned. The two civilians passed it off as one of the many fire jutsus they had seen used by Shinobi recently. The two medics on the other hand knew to think differently given the severity of the burned clothing.

"Rin-san, what is the situation," asked Naruto before either girl could ask the questions on their mind.

Rin though stood there partially shocked that he had used her real name. She had talked to him of course. That wasn't what surprised her. It was the fact that he used her name in front of Sakura, who was not privy to that information. The look Sakura was sending between the two was more then enough to tell that the girl had picked up on the name.

'_I guess now isn't a time for undercover names,'_ decided the woman.

"Kakashi has been fighting with Zabuza for the last hour. Iruka and Sasuke… Iruka was taken down about ten minutes ago when he pushed Sasuke to the ground to protect him from the weapons being thrown. They have been fighting for nearly the same length of time as Zabuza and Kakashi. Naruto-kun…" answered Rin, but stopped when Naruto nodded his head.

"Haku's Kekkei Genkai takes a lot out of him. From the looks of things he has been using a lot of jutsu and moving pretty fast. He should be tiring out soon," observed Naruto calmly, trying to keep from looking at Iruka's still body.

"Will Sasuke be able to last that long," questioned Kaiza as he walked up to the group of Shinobi.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and watched as the boy moved around and attacked. He was slowing, and the senbon in him weren't helping matters much. The chances of Sasuke dropping before Haku were fairly high, more so when he considered the fact that Sasuke was now using the Sharingan, even if the Uchiha didn't know it.

"Probably not… If I know the bastard he has been flipping around trying to show off with fancy moves," muttered Naruto, causing Sakura to snort.

'_You are just as bad at times Naruto,'_ thought the girl as she smiled at the way Naruto was trying to lighten the mood.

"Someone has to go in and help him," observed Rin while starting to move towards the dome.

Being the oldest Shinobi present she felt it was her duty to take responsibility for it. Even though Naruto might be better acquainted with the opponent, she might be able to help Iruka, if there was a chance he was alive. Not to mention given some of her medical Jutsu, she might even be able to take Haku out faster then any of the others, except for possibly Naruto.

Before she could make it too far though Sakura had already shot by her and was charging the dome of ice with a fist cocked back and a snarl on her face. Rin watched as the girl neared one of the many mirrors and slammed a fist into the conjured ice.

The force of her punch did what any punch would do to any normal mirror. It shattered it into thousands of tiny shards as the pink-haired medic charged into the dome. The surprise of her attack even allowed her to turn around while lifting her leg up into the air.

Haku barely managed to dodge as the girl slammed her foot down into the ground and caused it to erupt as the chakra in it exploded out to create a small crater. Still stunned by the newcomer he watched as the girl moved to the body of the Chunin and threw it out of the entrance she had created and into the waiting arms of someone Haku did not want to see.

Naruto

Naruto stood there with Iruka in his arms and locked eyes with Haku for the briefest of seconds. It was long enough for his eyes to flash a crimson, silver, and blue mixture and let the boy know how pissed he was with what he had done.

Then they broke contact as Haku snapped his attention back to Sakura and Sasuke, who now had a grimace of pain on his face. Haku frowned when he noticed that the girl has quickly removed all of the senbon in the short time she had been in the dome.

Naruto quickly ran back over to what looking like a fuming Rin and slowly placed Iruka on the ground in front of her. That ended up being all it took to bring the woman back down to earth and start inspecting the Chunin.

With that job completed Naruto turned towards the mist where Zabuza and Kakashi were still fighting it out. It was with a smile on his face that he stepped past Tazuna, Kaiza, and Rin as he took a deep breath.

"_**Futon: Daitoppa,"**_ thought Naruto as he snapped forward with his hands around his mouth as if he was yelling. The large blast of wind rocketed towards the mist and bowled over everything that wasn't bolted to the ground.

It was only due to having the Sharingan that Kakashi was able to detect the incoming jutsu and jump out of the way. Zabuza was not as lucky.

Kakashi watched as the mist was swept away by the wind technique and then turned towards the source. Imagine his surprise though when he noticed Naruto charging towards where he was fighting. What surprised him though wasn't Naruto charging in. It was the emotions on Naruto's face as he shot forward while twirling a pair of Tonfa around.

He didn't have much time to think this over though as Naruto leapt over him and blocked the incoming attack from Zabuza, who looked just as emotional.

The two locked eyes and seemed to be snarling at each other like a pair of rabid dogs. Zabuza, with his height advantage, was doing everything he could to force down his sword as Naruto held off his attack with the two Tonfa. Then just as quickly as they had come together the two jumped away from each other and glared at the other.

"I see the Demon of Konoha has finally shown up. I've grown tired of picking apart this thief," growled Zabuza as he smirked at the indignation shown on Kakashi's visible face.

"So you pick on little boys, little girls, women, and the handicapped? Here I thought you couldn't have sunk any lower," countered Naruto while slowly adjusting his grip on his Tonfa.

Again Kakashi frowned at the jab at the gift from his friend. It didn't even feel like the two noticed he was there now that they were focused on each other.

"So tell me, did your bitch of a sister live? I had thought you would have died after what I did the last time we fought. She surely would have been dead from the poisons in her body," questioned Zabuza, honestly curious as to how the duo managed to survive their injuries.

With Naruto he at least had a hunch as to how the boy survived, the Kyubi. Even with the demon though he wouldn't have lasted long if he didn't get attention soon enough. With Anko though he felt she should have died, given the damage done to her and the poisons introduced into her system. As a former member of the Assassination Corps of Kiri, he frowned upon targets surviving. That was why he was curious.

"Oh we survived, and happened across the Princess of Konoha, Tsunade," answered Naruto as if it was an every day thing.

After all, what was being stabbing in the chest by a massive sword when you have been burned alive, barraged with weapons, and assaulted on nearly a daily basis for a part of your life?

Zabuza though frowned at the news, not liking the implications. The boy meeting up with one of the Sannin of Konoha was not a good thing. They were respected and feared even in Kiri, and would likely continue being as such until they passed away. Even then stories of them would end up lasting for decades.

'_Fucking Konoha and their legendary Shinobi,'_ cursed the man as he thought of the various legends Konoha had given birth to.

That thought caused him to smile as he looked at Kakashi who had decided to stand on the sidelines, for the time being. The legends of Konoha reminded him of something that he had seen not to long ago around the neck of the Hyuga child. From the way things looked though he could guess that not everyone knew about that tidbit of information, not even the famed student of the man.

"So tell me little demon of Konoha, did you give that trinket to the Hyuga?" asked Zabuza, who smiled when the question registered in Naruto's head.

"Oh, you did. Yes I noticed it and I know where it comes from. Only one person in the history of Konoha has been known," started Zabuza, only to be cut off as Naruto raced towards him.

Not one to miss a fight, Zabuza charged with equal ferocity towards the boy, and both ignored a confused Kakashi on the sidelines.

"What just happened?" mumbled Kakashi as he watched the two duels. Deciding against questioning it he decided to focus on his other two students.

The Jonin was surprised, to say the least, to see Sakura inside of the dome battling alongside of Sasuke. More so when the girl was creating craters and destroying the mirrors as fast as Haku could create them. The fight now seemed about even with the two Genin landing hits on the ice user.

Of course Sakura handled keeping the ice mirrors down, mostly, and Sasuke focused on attacking and protecting Sakura when she had her back turned to the faux-hunter-nin. It ended up causing the two to work like a well oiled machine, moving smoothly between offense and defense as they switched out. Sakura would attack and due to the nature of her attacks Haku could hardly hope to block her assault physically. Because of this he often created ice to block her way or jumped away from the pink-haired girl. When that happened Sasuke would attack in any way possible when the chance presented itself.

Unlike earlier Haku was now on defense.

Right, Haku moved to avoid a punch that would have shattered his sternum and winced at feeling the chakra that Sakura had packed into that punch. There was not time to think about it though as he had to quickly avoid a follow up attack by the girl as she spun around and tried to deliver an elbow with the same amount of force. Separating himself from the furious Kunoichi only meant that her teammate now had a chance to launch his own attacks. It was all starting to become extremely frustrating for the boy.

Despite all of Haku's skill and abilities nothing could prepare him for slipping on gravel as he tried to push off his right leg to avoid weapons thrown by Sasuke. He still managed to avoid the weapons, barely, but the more serious problem was the fist that connected with him during his lapse in balance.

Sakura watched amazed at the fact that they had finally nailed the slippery bastard that had possibly killed their former Sensei. She wanted to be proud of what she had done but feeling and hearing the snapping of bones made her wince.

Sasuke watched as Haku was propelled away from Sakura's outstretched fist. He was amazed at what the girl could do, even though he had seen her missed attacks destroy parts of the bridge. None of that really prepared him for the sound of destroy bones as her fist connected and sent the boy flying back spitting up blood.

Everyone was surprised by the thunder crack that accompanied the completed destruction of the numerous Ice Mirrors that were left. The thundering sound echoed across the bridge and was soon accompanied by a storm of broken ice chunks as Haku skidded to a halt against a pile of lumber, sending it toppling over.

Sakura stood there with her arm still extended panting as the stress of the fight caught up with her. At the same time Sasuke collapsed down to his knees as the use of his newly found Sharingan caught up to him. Add in the number of jutsu he had used and it left him near exhaustion.

Neither of them had the strength left to move over to the enemy that could easily pop up any second. That was fine with them, more so with Sasuke who was fighting to stay conscious. With their fight ending though and the blood flow slowly starting to slow down, they could now hear the furious battle going on at the other side of the bridge.

Of course hearing the sound of a certain dog barking snapped their attention over towards Haku who was now being checked on by members of Team 8 and the woman known as Hiita landed around the downed Ice user. With extreme caution Hinata walked up to the downed Nin and quickly pressed several chakra points to limit the use of chakra by Haku. At the same time Kurenai had run over to check on Sasuke and Sakura.

The arrival of Kurenai, Hinata, and Motoko did not go unnoticed by the other occupants of the bridge; nor did the end of the fight between Sakura, Sasuke and Haku. Kakashi arrived next to Sasuke just as Kurenai landed next to the panting Sakura. With a smile and a pat on the head Kakashi lifted Sasuke up off the ground and slowly started to carry him over to where Rin was still working on Iruka and keeping an eye on Tazuna and Kaiza with Kurenai close behind him.

Hinata had started to treat their prisoner enough to allow them to move him safety, but given the damage done it would take a great deal more to ensure that Haku would live. With a nod of her head she was assisted by Motoko in lifting the Nuke-nin up and taking him over to where the others had gathered. From there it didn't take long for the adult Shinobi to converse about the current situation.

"Kiba and Shino are currently escorting Tsunami and Inari to a safe location. If what we saw when we left Tazuna's house was any indication though they are probably on there way here with a large group of villagers armed to the teeth," informed Kurenai as she told Tazuna and the others what had occurred at the house.

Tazuna was close to distraught after having heard of what happened, but calmed slightly knowing that everyone was now safe. That still didn't stop him from worrying about his one and only daughter and grandson. It all just fueled his rage for Gatoh and stoked his desire to build the bridge.

Now came the interesting part to Kurenai and Motoko as they were informed of what happened at the bridge up until they had arrived. Kurenai was some what pleased that Kakashi hadn't done that well against Zabuza, keeping her feminine pride intact somewhat. At the same time she was surprised at the trouble that Iruka and Sasuke had seemed to face while fighting Haku. She had heard that the boy possessed a powerful Kekkei Genkai, but one to manipulate the elements was nearly unheard of. Those were often as sought out as the powerful Doujutsu that Konoha was known for.

Of course hearing that Naruto was now fighting Zabuza inside of a dense cloud of mist was slightly unnerving to everyone present. Even if they had faith in his abilities, being up against a person as skilled and experienced as Zabuza in his own element was going to be a daunting task for anyone. It didn't matter that Naruto had been trying to emulate Zabuza's style of fighting for the last few years. It came down to the experience in the environment and the confidence to do what was needed.

No one doubted that both possessed the confidence required. No one doubted the desire to kill that likely fueled both combatants. Naruto and Zabuza were giving off enough blood lust right now that it might have disturbed people who hadn't heard the story between the two. The fight would come down to the experience and the ability to make up for the lack of the experience. If anything it could come down to a single misstep, as it had with Haku.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

Zabuza controlled his breathing perfectly despite how hard he had been fighting for the last twenty minutes. It was something he had picked up early on in his career and it had served him well when he decided upon his own unique style of combat. So for him to noticed Naruto just barely managing to do the same was slightly impressive to the man. It was also another reason to slaughter him and dance among his innards while drinking his blood.

'_I was around Kisame far too much,'_ thought the man as he focused on the barely audible sound of Naruto running through the mist.

He couldn't taunt his prey as he had done with Kakashi or as he had done numerous people in the past. This target was skilled and very adept at trusting his senses. The only good thing about this prey was its confidence to beat him at his own game.

As quick as that thought came to Zabuza he had darted forward with no sound audible to anyone around. It wasn't until he was already upon Naruto that the boy spun around and crossed his blades to stop the overhead chop Zabuza had tried to deliver. With his blade caught between the two Tonfa he tried to put every ounce of strength he could into breaking the guard of the fox child.

It was surprising at how strong he had become in such a short amount of time. To think that the boy now had the strength to keep his massive sword at bay. With barely a grunt his spun around, removing his sword from the trap and delivering a solid kick to his prey. He had to fight the aggravation he felt when the target bent over sideways and avoided the kick. The following slash with the sword was avoided by a simple twist of the body that took him outside of the striking range of the deadly sword like log thrown through the air.

Not wasting time to wait for his target to recover he followed afterwards with his sword trailing behind him just above the ground. He was so committed to his attack that he barely had time to shift his position to avoid a sudden burst of blue flame sent out by his opponent as he landed crouched with an arm extended.

Another diagonal slash was avoided effortlessly by his prey as he ducked to the side and tried to sweep the legs out from under the former Mist swordsmen. That was easily avoided by a small jump that allowed him to just clear the incoming foot.

It however would not avoid the arm that lashed out as the boy spun around on the ground. Zabuza smiled as he noticed that the Tonfa blade was too short to reach him, despite the boy's best effort.

His eyes flew open when he noticed a brief green glimmer of chakra run along the blade and extend the inch or so needed to create a cut on Zabuza's protruding knee. The pain that accompanied the near paper cut size wound was only dulled by the fact that he had underestimated the ability of his prey.

'_If he could send wind blasts so easily then why shouldn't he be able to channel it through his weapons as well?'_ asked the man as he mentally berated himself for such an oversight. At least it hadn't been as deep and debilitating as it could have been.

There was a moment both paused in their fight as the sound of thunder reached them, each knowing that it wasn't the weather but Haku's mirrors. Noticing the lack of any follow up attacks from Kakashi and Rin told them all they needed to know about who the victor was. Of course that only served to infuriate Zabuza.

This of course led to another rapid fire series of attacks as Zabuza decided to use his height to press his attack. To Naruto it was like fighting himself or several clones, with the way Zabuza was now hacking and slashing. The song of their battle would be hard to miss as the blades sung with each strike from their owners. In a way it almost sounded like a drum with the heavy hitting sound of Zabuza's sword.

The new ferocity did allow Zabuza to break through Naruto's defenses a few times, caught by surprise at the sudden change in pace. Once he got used to the new level of fighting by Zabuza it was only a matter of increasing his own speed. What made the real difference was the strength Zabuza was now putting into each attack as he continued to press Naruto backwards.

With a grunt Naruto caught one of Zabuza's attacks in a clever cross guard with his Tonfa. It was also at this time that Naruto revealed there was more to his choice of defense. He easily brought his fingers up into a hand seal while keeping the blades locked and conjured up a clone behind Zabuza in a cloud of smoke.

Knowing he was now in some danger Zabuza had no other option other then abandoned his current attack on Naruto and try to avoid the attack from the clone behind him. When that happened he gave Naruto the time he needed to complete one other jutsu. While sucking in air his chest swelled up and his head shot forward as he spit out the chakra infused wind.

The result of the attack was clearing the mist away while forcing Zabuza to once again hide behind his sword in order to avoid being sliced and diced by the deadly wind. Now everyone could see the fight that was going on between the two. More importantly though they, too Naruto at least, could see what was now going on around them. That was when Zabuza decided to attack the distracted blond.

He had to catch his opponent off guard. He had to find some weakness that he could exploit. This was a different boy then the one he had fought before. This one didn't use the same tricks as he had originally. In a way Zabuza felt he should be glad that Naruto no longer depended on those little tricks. At the same time this made Naruto deadlier since they could still be a hidden part of his arsenal.

Seeing Haku knocked down though and the others gathering around Tazuna and Kaiza gave him something to think about. There was also the way Naruto had reacted to Zabuza's earlier goading, when Zabuza had dared to say something about Naruto's little friend sealed inside of him. It was a chink in the armor that the boy had tried to build up, and maybe it was something he could exploit.

"Do you think they will ever really accept you?" asked Zabuza as they locked blades once again. This time Zabuza doing everything he could to keep the blades engaged instead of separating.

The question caught Naruto off guard of course. It was different from the way Zabuza had been acting just minutes before. To have the crazed man ask such a question.

"They are my friends and family," was all Naruto said as he now tried to push Zabuza away enough to disengage and gain some space.

"And? Friends can easily turn their back on you boy. Family could try to kill you just as easily as your worst enemy. All it takes is for one thing to change in your relationship to cause them to see you in a new light."

With a grunt Naruto gave way to Zabuza's strength. The result was not what was expected.

Instead of being cut by the massive sword of Zabuza, Naruto ended up throwing himself into a flip. Time seemed to freeze as the tip of Zabuza's sword barely missed Naruto. Using the sword of Zabuza's attack, Naruto managed to bring his upper body down and around faster then the man would have expected.

This unique dodge and Naruto bringing his Tonfa back up to bear all resulted in Zabuza receiving twin slashes to his chest as Naruto's momentum carried him over the Nuke-nin where he delivered another set of slashes with the bladed Tonfa surprising everyone watching.

"I nearly gave up on my friends before. I nearly stopped trusting them once and I sure as hell not going to do that again. Not after everything they went through when that Kumo bastard tried to kill me. I'm sure as hell not going to let you do what Hakai almost did to me," growled Naruto with his back turned to Zabuza.

Being distracted like that ended up costing him though. Had he been looking at his opponent he might have noticed that Zabuza was still standing tall and proud. He might have noticed the blade swing around towards him. As it was though he didn't notice any of these things until he felt the sharp pain of the sword cutting into his forearm and the brief sensation of flight as he was catapulted away.

Those watching cried out as Naruto was sent flying. Some might have even tried to charge forward to help him had it not been for Motoko to stop them. Instead they were forced to watch as Naruto slowly stood back up with his left arm hanging like a piece of meat with blood slowly pooling beneath it.

"Not bad boy, that attack should have split you in two. Yet here you are with just a ruined arm," observed Zabuza as he ignored his bleeding wounds and stalked Naruto.

"_**I'm sure you are glad I made you wear those bracers all of the time,"**_ commented Hikari as Naruto started the painful process of setting his arm.

'_He has gotten a lot stronger Nee-chan. These bracers are supposed to be pretty tough but he managed to cut into the left one. If there had been any more force he might have done what he said,'_ answered Naruto.

"_**We can't turn our back on him again."**_

'_Thanks for stating the obvious.'_

While the two were talking they both kept an eye on Zabuza as Naruto backed away from the man. It might not have been the most heroic thing to do, but it would give Naruto time to heal. It was all he could hope for as he tried to come up with a plan.

"I guess I should be lucky your sword isn't designed for cutting, but crushing its way through things. Maybe if it was a _real_ sword I'd be cut in half," chided Naruto as he held the cut and smiled at Zabuza who seemed to be enraged by the remark.

"_**That was a great idea… Piss the man off who wants to kill you,"**_ reprimanded Hikari as she shook her head.

'_It isn't like I don't want to kill him to. I figured turn about is fair play though. He wanted to distract me with that crap about family turning on you,' _answered Naruto.

It felt good to loosen up some, to talk to Hikari in this situation. They had decided once that when in a fight she wouldn't do much talking unless Naruto was in need of serious help. It was all part of trying to limit the number of distractions he had to face during a fight. With the small drop in battle and his injury, he was going to need something to help him along.

Being a man with a violent temper, there wasn't much else to say to get Zabuza to attack. The ones who had witnessed the man fight nearly a week prior recognized the style of the crazed man. It was a man who had decided to ignore all pain in the desire to kill his opponent. It was the same thing the man had decided to do when he went after Hinata.

Naruto was nearly caught by surprise as the renewed ferocity of the Kiri-nin as he moved to dodge the incoming blade, but couldn't move fast enough to avoid the following kick. He quickly rolled to avoid the following sword strikes as Zabuza tried to continue his assault on his downed opponent.

While gritting his teeth at having to roll repeatedly over his wounded arm, Naruto managed to use his good arm to launch himself into a barrel role and land on his feet yards away from Zabuza. He slowly settled himself into a stance as he pulled his broken arm closer to his body and prepared to take on Zabuza barehanded.

Smirking at the gesture Zabuza was more then happy to oblige his opponent and moved to attack. He was caught off guard as the blond started racing forward as well and moved to swing his back leg up for a kick. Grinning at the attack Zabuza was more then happy to try to slice the leg off. Imagine his surprise though when a blast of blue fire erupted from Naruto's foot.

Zabuza did the only thing he could do to avoid the blaze and that was to use his sword as a shield once again. In doing that he also took his eyes away from Naruto which allowed the Uzumaki to follow up on the attack. After rapidly closing the distance between the two Naruto snaked his leg around the sword and sent a devastating kick to the side of Zabuza's head that sent the man skidding across the bridge.

Dazed, Zabuza did the thing he knew how to do best, and that was to attack. Rolling with the force of the kick he managed to spring back up to his feet and charge back towards Naruto with his sword trailing behind him as the blond moved to meet his attack.

Now it became a dance of fire and wind as Naruto sent blasts from his feet and good arm at the Nuke-nin. Now knowing that Naruto could send fire and wind out, Zabuza did what he could to avoid the blasts of fire without having to block his vision of the boy he had sworn to kill. Both Shinobi were bending and moving in ways that amazed the people watching the fight.

The deadly dance of death amazed many of the people watching as they would land a glancing blow, or narrowly miss their targets. Not even Kiba could say anything as he and the villagers arrived to the bridge and witnessed the scene. All they could do was watch as the pair moved about, flipping, rolling, twisting and turning.

It slowly became evident though that the fight was about to change. Naruto had already grabbed up one of his discarded Tonfa. Shortly after that he had started using his left arm again and then quickly picked up his second Tonfa. Now the song of steel echoed across the bridges as sparks flew and curses were exchanged. A blast of dust sparks and several flips later Naruto stood panting as he watched Zabuza.

Zabuza stood there with wide eyes as he watched his sword slowly fall apart. Several parts sliced by the deadly wind nature chakra employed by Naruto. He almost found it ironic that the sword was now back to what it was when Naruto had broken it on their first encounter. Now Naruto was standing ten yards away from him with murder in his eyes. Both sported several cuts and what would be bruises if they survived long enough. In Zabuza's case there were also several scorch marks decorating his body from Naruto's early assault.

"Give up Zabuza there is no chance you are getting out of here alive," declared Naruto as he locked eyes with the Demon of the Hidden Mist village. The man grunted as he tried to lift what was left of his sword. He just growled as his right arm refused to respond and forced him to lift the blade with his left arm.

"And what would happen? You turn me over to Kiri or one of the other villages I pissed off? I'm as good as dead no matter what I do," yelled Zabuza defiantly as he seemed to gain more strength despite his injuries. The man slowly started to charge towards Naruto, gaining speed as he went along.

Naruto stood there unsure of what was going on. He had sworn he would kill the man if he had to. There was no reason to do that now though. Zabuza had lost. His body was ruined and he wouldn't live to see next week unless he got medical attention soon. So why was he still trying to fight?

"_**He may be a Nuke-nin and a bastard Otouto but he is still a man. He has his own sense of honor just like you and everyone else. He would rather die on the field of battle then in confinement. Allow him to go with some dignity. That is all that he is asking of you right now."**_

Naruto had been avoiding Zabuza's newest set of attacks. Each time he did he could see the small sneer of disgust cross the older man's face. Each time it sent a jolt down through Naruto as he started to notice something forming around the eyes of Zabuza. Tears.

Tears of pain, humiliation, anger, disgust. The emotions of a dying man begging for his one final wish to be granted, and killing himself for seeming so pathetic. He was asking WHY things had gone this way and why nothing would save him from this act.

Naruto was stunned by what he could see in those eyes. Eyes that were so much like his used to be. How he had been through similar situations in all of the beatings and general treatment of the villagers. How he had felt that night with Tenten when she had been the first of his friends to actually witness the hate the villagers felt towards him.

'_I hate it. I know how he feels but I just hate knowing this now. It is going to make what he wants me to do so much harder,'_ observed Naruto as he closed his eyes to steel his resolve. Already he knew the image of Zabuza would haunt him as he moved towards the man.

Anyone watching would have sworn that Zabuza was smiling when he noticed Naruto running towards him. The only think that caused them to doubt this were the bandages that covered the lower half of his face. The man dropped his sword and stood tall as he waited for the inevitable.

* * *

_**Team 10**_

What is a person to do when they see several large ships filled to the brim with human trash? Human trash that held swords, spears, and other common weapons that any hired group could get their hands on. What if those ships were heading towards where your friends were fighting and the only thing keeping you from getting there is a large expanse of water?

You could try water walking, something nearly all of the Genin who graduated knew. Walking on water as dangerous as the one separating the Land of Fire from the Land of Waves was more daunting though. They didn't call the country the Land of Waves for nothing after all. The water around the country often had waves that most other coastal regions only get during storms. That was what made the port towns all the more precious to anyone who would want to own the country.

Ports are often formed in the more convenient locations. In the Land of Waves that meant where the waters were relatively calm. The only ones who would hazard using any other way of reaching the island would have to look for breaks in the ocean currents that would cause a slight decrease in the turbulent sea. This was also what made the bridge being built a work of art and very valuable to the people wanting to break free of Gatoh.

Now Team 10 was left looking across the waves at a ship full of Gatoh's men who were moving towards the village of the bridge. The choices left to them were very few due to the distance between them and the would be enemies.

"I'm starting to wish I never ordered you to destroy those other boats Choji," said Asuma as he watched the group pull alongside of the bridge that the other teams were to protect.

"Figures the calm belt for this village would be on the other side of the village," grouched Ino as she referred to the calmer parts of water surrounding the Land of Waves.

The other two members of the team stood off to the side looking across the way and thinking. They were probably the most nervous out of the four members of the team. They had been friends with two of the people in that country for far longer then their blonde friend, and had a great deal of respect for the two. Enough so that they would be willing to risk death to save them, again.

Shikamaru sighed in dismay as he struggled to think of a plan. Most of the plans he thought up so far always ended up with someone being hurt or possibly worst. It was not something he would allow to happen or something that he would ever accept from himself. They would all make it. Choji on the other hand seemed to be contemplating something that might actually work, if the smile was any indication.

"I think I know how we could get across," answered Choji finally as he started moving over to where the bridge was supposed to connect.

* * *

_**Wave**_

'_Why. Why did he try to get in the way…?'_

Everyone watched as Haku slumped to the ground and cradled Zabuza's dieing body close to him. The ice user sat there with Zabuza's head in his lap crying tears that seemed to freeze instantly as they rolled down his cheeks. The actions of the boy had surprised everyone there, none more so then Hinata who had been trying to treat him at the time of his rescue attempt.

One second he was on the ground being stabilized and then he was in front of Naruto as he charged to kill the man. Had it not been for his quick reaction time he might have ended up stabbing Haku straight through the head. Instead he kicked out his elbows which allowed him to stab Zabuza on either side of the chest, Naruto's right Tonfa skewering the heart enough to cause death.

It wasn't what he wanted since now the man would slowly die. He had hoped to hit the spinal column and the heart in an attempt to relieve the man of some of the pain he might have felt. Now though…

Naruto turned away from his fallen opponent and started to walk towards where his family and friends had gathered. He didn't want to see the man dieing. The look in the man's eyes would be more then enough to keep him awake for a couple of weeks.

'_Why don't I feel happy that I kill him,'_ was all Naruto could think of as his body went on autopilot.

Haku sat there looking at Zabuza as the man slowly bled to death in his arms. He had been too late… No, he had been just in time. He had underestimated the skills of Naruto. He had reacted with lightning quickness to avoid killing him. He wanted to hate the blond. He wanted to punish him just as he was being punished now. He wanted to take away something precious from the boy.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I'm sorry Zabuza-sama I could never completely kill my heart. Each time I tried it just came back stronger then before," whispered Haku as he bowed his head.

He could hear the man trying to speak, but couldn't make the words out. They were incoherent and nearly lost as the man took one ragged breath after another. He could see the look in his master's eyes though. As much as it pained him to see the ridicule in them and the command they seemed to be trying to convey. It was with closed eyes and a heavy heart that Haku fulfilled the final wish of Zabuza.

The sound of snapping caused Naruto to whirl around just in time to see Haku release Zabuza's head and allow it to settle in an awkward position. The stunned look on his face was probably shared by everyone who had just witnessed Haku breaking the neck of Zabuza. Before he could say or do anything two pairs of arms wrapped around him. One around his neck and the other around his chest as his mother and close friend pulled him into an embrace and held him close.

Kakashi was walking towards the sobbing form of Haku when he heard the sound of clapping coming from unfinished portion of the bridge. This caused him to stop and tense up as well as everyone behind him. The sound grew louder as the person responsible made himself known through the mist that seemed to blow away as the man stepped forward.

"Gatoh!" yelled Tazuna as the short man walked forward and stopped just a mere five feet away from the grieving Haku.

The Shinobi, who could, jumped at the bridge builder's venomous voice and turned towards the balding man with renewed hatred. Each had heard the stories of what this man had and did do in this country and abroad. The only thing that gave them slight pause though was the armed group of man who could now be seen behind the businessman. They didn't pause out of fear; more out of worry for their charges that could easily be caught in crossfire should the sides decide to attack each other.

"My there certainly are more of you then I had expected…" mumbled the man as he noticed all of the Konoha Shinobi present. The blond-haired boy and the two women he had grown to hate didn't escape his eyes either.

"Hm, well maybe I won't have to pay all of these guys everything they are owed for this job," whispered the man as he thought about how he would save money in this venture.

"Well I had planned on killing them when their job was done but thanks to you Konoha Shinobi I just saved a load of money. Now all I got to do is kill his little androgynous pet and then deal with you," exclaimed Zabuza as he walked towards Haku, who was still unaware of what was happening around him.

Even as Gatoh walked up to him and kicked him to the ground did he ignore the happenings of the world. The only thing he seemed to be aware of was the limp body of Zabuza in his arms. Gatoh continued to kick the boy in the back and head in hope of some reaction from the source of some of his anger. Each time though the boy just held onto the body and rocked. Finally growing tired of it all the balding man spit towards the boy and the fallen Kiri-nin.

Gatoh in his anger did the only thing a petty man like him would do, and that is strike out at someone who couldn't stop him. He tried to get a rise from Haku and failed. Seeing how Zabuza was the main source of his anger he had decided upon one last attack at the man who couldn't do what was asked of him. That had been the target of his spit, and it had also sealed the man's fate.

Kakashi was the first to notice the sudden drop in temperature and back away from the source in surprise. The boy had been near death not long ago and with his chakra partially sealed. Even with the quick help of Hinata he couldn't be 100% healthy. The only thing allowing him to do what he was doing now was pure willpower.

Gatoh noticed it next as the sweat that had been rolling down his face froze to his skin. The clouds of his rapid breaths were the next sign as he slowly turned towards where the cold wind seemed to be coming from.

Icy blue chakra could be seen swirling around the enraged Haku as he gently laid the body of Zabuza down and closed the man's eyes. As he stood erect he turned his frigid eyes towards the man who would defile the body of his master. The man who had said he planned to kill his master, even if the job had been completed. He would kill the man for daring to defile his master's life and existence.

"Kill HIM!" screamed Gatoh when he realized what was about to happen.

His small army moved to attack the staggering boy but they hardly moved when several heads rolled to the ground from the back of the group. In the time it took the ones next to them to realize what had occurred others among their ranks turned and started to attack the nearest person to them. More could be seen fighting to breathe as they struggled to break free of some phantom limb grasping their throats.

More and more bodies fell. It wasn't until the entire bridge shook and bodies started flying that Gatoh's men fully realized that they were under attack from behind. Who could mistake the sound of bodies being crushed and the smashed body of a close friend come sailing past you with a round indention in the chest or a head with similar marks?

Gatoh was stunned by the turn of events. Stunned enough that he started backing away from the dangers to his life. There was but only two directions to do that in, to the right or to the left. Both paths would lead him to the edge of the bridge and neither were the most desirable avenues of escape. That he found out when he came to the railing and peered over the side to see the turbulent waters churning beneath him. The white water reaching up from the surface beckoning him to join them.

That was where Haku found the man and waited for the target of all his hatred and anger to turn around. Had Gatoh not come to them when they were desperate for money they would have never come across Naruto again. They could have lived their life peacefully; hunter-nin had never been a real problem before. A few jobs here and there maybe take over a town and use it as a base of operations.

"I will avenge Zabuza-sama and make you regret defiling his body Gatoh," whispered the ever gentle Haku as Gatoh turned towards his pursuer.

"Come on we can make a deal! I can give you anything in the world that you could ever possibly want, what do you say kid let's make a deal," pleaded Gatoh as Haku drew nearer.

The boy would hear nothing of it though as he created a spear of ice from the water around him and continued closing in on Gatoh. Already he could kill the mane with the spear if he wished. That though wouldn't do. He had no other purpose in this life. That is he would have no purpose once he killed Gatoh.

"It is because of you Zabuza-sama is dead and because of that you and I shall share the same fate. I pray you have paid your dues Gatoh because it is time to pay a visit to the devil," shouted Haku as he hurled the spear at Gatoh, catching him in the chest.

Kakashi was too far away to stop what happened next. Hinata, Kiba, and Sakura turned away as Haku continued to charge at Gatoh. Naruto fought against the iron grip of his mother and Hinata. Motoko tipped her head slightly to honor the memory and act of Haku. Kurenai and Rin were stunned at what they were witnessing. Tazuna and the other villagers turned white as the boy impaled himself on the spear he had thrown into Haku and sent both of them careening over the edge of the bridge and into the tidal waters.

Those who could ran over why they didn't know. Even as they got there seconds after the sound of a splash no one could see the bodies of Haku and Gatoh, forever locked together as the ocean waters claimed their lives.

Curses were heard from the other side of the bridge once again. This time though it wasn't of anger or mirth, but of desperation as men fought for their lives. The men once commanded by Gatoh were now caught between a rock and a hard place with no place to run. The smart ones did the first thing that came to their mind when realization dawned on them and dropped their weapons. The others continue to fight for their lives as a massive arm sent them flying into the water like a child's blocks.

A flare of light at that end of the bridge was soon followed by the form of a rather tall man and three shorter figures.

"I guess we weren't late for the party," greeted Asuma as he walked over to his fellow Jonin with a grim smile on his face.

* * *

_**Wave**_

The days following the fight on the bridge either slowly drifted by or flew past in a blur, all depending on who you asked.

For Sasuke the days came and went about as fast as a snail in molasses. His exhaustion leaving him in bed and being checked on every now and then by one of the medics in charge, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, or Rin. Despite the pleasant view of the ocean he had he still hated being in the house. He hated being kept in a single room all day and all night, only allowed out to bathe and eat. He wasn't allowed to do any training under threat of the numerous methods used by the Kunoichi watching him. Who would want to anger women who could leave you in a coma (destroy your mind), destroy a wall in a punch, cause you to go impotent with the slightest tap and chakra, or just castrate you in the blink of an eye?

He sure as hell didn't if he wanted to live to revive his clan.

His roommate didn't help his mood much.

Naruto had been sitting at the window looking out over the ocean ever since the fight ended. The only time he would eat was if someone brought the food up to him and fed him themselves. The bathes he had to take were done in a similar fashion, though by an Adult. It was all too depressing, even for someone like Sasuke, to witness.

"What the hell is your problem," asked Sasuke finally on the fourth day they had been trapped in the room together.

He sat there waiting… And waiting….

And waiting…

No answer ever came despite him having waited nearly ten whole minutes of his precious time. With that off of his mind he decide to do the only other thing possible for a person restricted to bed rest with no forms of entertainment. Sleep.

Sleep wouldn't come to him though as the memory of Iruka's cold bloody body forced him to sit up straight in bed. The man had been willing to give his life for someone who he had no obligation to. Sure Iruka had once been his teacher in the Academy. That was months ago so Iruka had no such obligation to watch out for him. Yet the man still did and nearly died in the process of it.

'_No, he wouldn't have died. The wounds just looked bloody. That bastard was still toying with use despite everything he said. Still, Iruka-sensei didn't know that. He thought he was going to give up his life for me…'_

Sacrifice was not something Uchiha Sasuke really understood. More so when someone was willing to sacrifice their own well being for the sake of another person. Would he give his own life away for the sake of a mission? For a comrade? For someone who he was supposed to protect? Would he do it for a complete stranger who had nothing to do with him?

"I didn't feel anything at all when I finally killed him," the answer to Sasuke's questions would have to wait as Naruto finally started talking for the first time in days.

"I thought I would feel elated that I finally settled an old score with that man. Yet I don't feel anything like that. I think I feel the exact opposite. I feel sorry for him. I pity him and I could hardly stand to look at the man as he fought me even when it was clear he couldn't win."

"Killing a person hardly ever makes someone feel that way Naruto. You are supposed to feel this way, even if the person wronged you. Perhaps the only time you should feel the opposite is when you managed to protect someone, someone that was in danger. Zabuza wasn't like that though," answered Kakashi as he walked into the room and sat between his two students.

He probably wouldn't answer anyone honestly if he was asked why he cared about Naruto. He had been honestly worried about the boy who had been causing him troubles. It was odd seeing an open child like Naruto suddenly shut himself away like a clam.

"I suppose in a way you only wanted to have Zabuza acknowledge you," ventured Kakashi as he observed Naruto for any reaction. The boy in question turned towards Kakashi with a confused look on his face as he titled his head.

"From what I remember you were inspired by him to take up the art of silent killing. You followed in his foot steps in your own way. Despite that though you two were exact opposites. I think you wanted him to acknowledge your skills and ability to best him in that field," explained Kakashi as he remembered the few things Naruto had said about his previous encounter with the Kiri-nin.

It seemed to be true in a sense. Naruto learned several of the techniques Zabuza used. It went beyond that though. He started to train in the style of combat used by the man as well. He mimicked Zabuza to a point where they were nearly equal in the same fighting style. The only difference perhaps was experience, and even when facing someone with more experience a lucky man could win.

"In the end Zabuza gave you what you wanted, he acknowledged you when he asked you to end his life. You accomplished something you have been waiting to do for years. Something it would have taken most people nearly a lifetime to do. Now that that goal and drive is gone you feel empty," continued the scarecrow as he watched his charges.

Mostly though he was watching Sasuke to see how he would react to what Naruto went through and the things being said towards the Uzumaki. So far he seemed to be hitting several nails within the hard head of the Uchiha as well. It wasn't so surprising though with the way Sasuke had looked up to the person he was chasing after.

"You need to find something healthier to fill that void and push you forward in life."

"Is that why you read the books Ero-Sennin reads," asked Naruto finally with a wisp of a smile on his face.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he laughed lightly.

"No these books are surprisingly good Naruto," answered Kakashi as he stood up to leave.

"Don't lie Sensei, we all know it's just because you can't get any," quipped Sasuke, surprising himself at the Naruto-like retort.

Naruto turned to look at the normally stoic Uchiha to see the boy just as surprised as he was. Even Kakashi paused and to look back at his other charge, eyes showing how shocked he was at the comment. Just as Sasuke was preparing to bolt from the room though the other two occupants burst out in laughter which was soon followed by a smile tugging on the lips of one Uchiha Sasuke after his first light hearted joke in years.

* * *

Other then Sasuke and Naruto, Iruka was also on a bed rest limitation. His though was from more then just exhaustion. After being turned into a pincushion and losing large amounts of blood, he could do much more then listen to what went on around him. Not that he didn't have company to pass the time over the last week.

The woman he used to known as Aussa had been in his room most of the time, always checking to make sure nothing went wrong with the removal of the senbon. Hinata, Ino, and Sakura also spent a great deal of time in the room as well, observing everything done by Rin. It was all rather pleasant company, during the day.

At night he was visited by Shino and the woman he had never dreamed of meeting. He wanted to be angry with the woman but after hearing some of her story he couldn't be angry with her. All the anger that he had kept locked inside of him waiting to unleash on the woman who might have abandoned her son evaporated faster then an all you could eat buffet did in an Akimichi family reunion.

She had asked him some about Naruto, wondering about his life and wanting to know more about him. He may not have known much about Naruto but he was willing to share what he did know, as well as offer some information on the family that Naruto had formed. Most of which was information Shino couldn't provide, at least not as detailed as Iruka could.

'_I wonder why she behaved so violently to knowing about Anko-chan,'_ pondered Iruka as he continued looking up at the tarp that passed for a ceiling in his room.

It wasn't an angry look, more like a pleased one that seemed to pass across the woman's face and then vanish. It almost seemed as if she was happy hearing about some of the things that had happened. It had all occurred when Iruka was talking about the relationship between Anko, Ibiki, and Naruto. Then with some prodding he talked about his relationship with the crazy woman.

Well if she was happy about that who was he to argue?

"Ready to go Iruka," asked Asuma as he walked into the makeshift room for the Chunin. The bearded man didn't wait for an answer as he moved to help the younger Shinobi to his unsteady feet.

"I should ask you the same thing, given what I heard from Ino. You know Anko is likely to shove a dango stick through a very narrow hole when she hears that," answered Iruka finally as he walked out of the room with the help of the Jonin.

Both men laughed even though one of them seemed a little strained to laugh at the implied threat. It was nice to relax somewhat after the stressed filled event of the previous week. Both Nin would be more then happy to return to the village and stay there for a few months.

"How are Ino and the rest of your team doing? I haven't seen Shikamaru and Choji since we readjusted the rooms," asked Iruka, always interested in what his previous students were up to.

"Choji has been helping out a lot at the bridge and so has Shikamaru. It was surprising that Shikamaru offered it, even though he isn't half as lazy as he used to be. They are all still a little shaken up from everything that happened that day, but they seem to be doing rather well. I think the main one I have to worry about is Ino, given what can happen when Yamanakas are still connected to people when they die," answered Asuma as he moved down the stairs with Iruka's arm hung over his shoulder.

The Chunin nodded. He had heard stories of Yamanakas going crazy when they didn't disconnect from a target before they died. That was if they were lucky and didn't die along with them or slip into a coma. At times they would gain some of the memories of the person that that had used their mind jutsus on. Other times they would develop traits of the person. On some rare occasions it would almost seem as if the two minds had switched bodies.

"That's good to hear. I guess you guys came out pretty good, even with the scrapes and bruises from being thrown over by Choji," said Iruka with a sigh of relief.

Asuma just laughed though as he remembered the plan to get them across the water and to the bridge. It had scared Ino half to death when she was thrown across. Asuma had later asked everyone present on the bridge how they couldn't hear Ino screaming like a banshee. It had ended up working though and allowed them to get the drop on Gatoh's men. Since he had been the first to land he was also the first to attack and clear a landing area for his students.

"Yeah well I don't think any of us have plans to travel Air Akimichi any time soon," admitted Asuma as they limped from the stairs and out the front door.

Outside stood the rest of the group from Konoha and the family that had been housing them since they had all arrived in the country. It was the day that the bridge was officially finished and the group from Konoha would have to head home. Most of them had already said goodbye to the people of Wave so they could now head home without causing very much of a fuss. The only ones from the country there to see them off would be the ones who had hired them.

"I don't think we will ever be able to repay you for everything you've done. You saved my life, the life of my family, and the life of my country. If Konoha ever needs anything built I hope you come to me first, it would be the least I could do after all of the trouble I caused," admitted Tazuna as he shook the hands of Kurenai, Motoko, and Kakashi.

"I'll be sure to tell Sarutobi that when I have my nice long talk with him," answered Motoko.

Kakashi paused slightly at that, having never really thought the woman planned on actually going to Konoha with them. He had thought that they would either hang around Wave or at least travel part way with the group towards Konoha. When he looked over to Kurenai though she didn't show half of the surprise that he felt at that moment. He didn't bother looking to Asuma since the man hadn't been exposed long enough to the woman.

"Um," was all the Hatake could say before he was silenced by the semi-sweet look the woman was now giving him.

"Oh I'm returning to Konoha Kakashi. You see me and Sarutobi have a great deal to catch up on, and from what I hear I need to have a little talk with you as well," stated the woman as she narrowed her eyes at the man who had been the star pupil of her husband. Before anything else could be said Naruto was pulling on her arm, eager to get home and introduce his family to each other.

"Come on Kaa-san," whispered Naruto, causing Motoko to nod and turn to follow Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, Choji, and Ino down the road that would take them back to Konoha.

The other Genin soon followed as well as Kurenai, leaving just Asuma and Kakashi standing there as Tazuna and his small family moved towards the bridge to help with the ceremony that would take place later that day.

"Kakashi I think you're screwed."

* * *

The waters churned as he flew just over the surface looking for what he had been searching days for. He could hear the faint heartbeat as he snaked his way across the waves that tickled his belly. He was had witnessed everything that had happened. He was there when the boy gave tried to throw his life away. Despite that he still clung to life for some reason.

It was for that reason he now sought him out.

He heard the faint beating of the heart over the ocean as he prepared to move away from the Land of Waves. Having an idea of who it was and how special the child was caused him to delay his departure, long enough to look for the body of Haku in the vast ocean. He had searched for the entire week and had not found the body, but he could hear the beating heart still. If his ears weren't playing tricks on him he was getting closer to where he should be.

Now he neared a place many shapes stayed far away from. A land that few things could ever consider living on due to the stink of death that seemed to hang around the ruins of the once great country of Uzu no Kuni. What had happened not even he knew, and that was one of the reasons he ventured around to the different dens used by his kin in hopes of solving that mystery.

He paused as he neared the island surrounded by whirlpools and knew where his target would be. The rhythmic beating of the heart was coming from beyond the chains of natural occurrences. That could only mean he had some how made it through the deadly underwater twisters.

As he moved forward he knew he had at last found what he was looking for over a week now.

'_Perhaps it won't be so bad having a young traveling companion once again. Maybe I can give you the things you didn't have before Haku.'_

**_End_**

* * *

Well that is all for now, I thank you for dealing with me and hanging in there. A Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.


	20. Home at last

'_Thoughts'_

"_**Demon/Inner Self"**_

'_**Demon thoughts'**_

"_**Gamabunta"**_

"_Writing"_

"Speech"

"Radio"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.

Kazama Arashi = Namikaze Minato

No, I will not change the names of the characters to fit the manga. What better way to set this apart from the manga then to keep the names I've used long before it was revealed in the manga? Besides, certain names go well with what I plan on doing in the stories I write.

_**

* * *

**_

"_Sensei Sensei I finally did it," yelled a young boy as he banged on the door before letting himself in and running into the house._

_The silver haired boy had only made it to the living room when he heard someone curse and the sound of feet shuffling along the floor and the banging of bodies along with more swearing. It was only then that he paused to look around and noticed that there was another pair or sandals by the door he had just come from. Knowing he may have caught his Sensei in an awkward situation only caused the young man to smile behind his mask._

_Now he started to walk slowly towards the sounds, which happened to be coming from the second floor of the house. He couldn't help but wonder whom he was going to catch the man with. Would it be Tsunade? She was powerful and still young enough to marry someone like his teacher. The two did seem to get along the few times Jiraiya wasn't around screwing things up._

_Of course, there was also that Inuzuka woman as well, Tsume. The boy shivered at the thought of the feral woman and his teacher being together. Well at least he could get tips on how to raise his own nin-ken. She might not be the type of person he imagined his Sensei with but there were still some interesting and "cool" things about her._

_Right as the boy was about to start up the stairs to the second floors he could hear two people heading his way._

_He could see his teacher's black pants, which should have been taped, for obvious reasons he figured. The second pair of feet though caused him some confusion. They were feminine but he couldn't place them. The woman also wore pants similar to his teacher. That ruled out Tsunade, that and the fact that this woman's toenails weren't painted. Then again, they weren't wild as he imagined an Inuzuka's would be either. If anything, they were perfect. They did seem a little pale but they had no blemish with well-manicured nails._

_The duo were now nearly down the stairs and he could tell that the pants of the woman just seemed to barely hang on her hips by the bulky belt she wore, showing that she seemed to be wearing something that looked like a purple leotard under the flak jacket she had paused on the steps to put on. It was only now that Kakashi could finally see whom he had caught his Sensei with._

_The short purple hair and red eyes were all he needed to see to know who this was._

"_What the hell is _she_ doing here Arashi-sensei!"_

_**

* * *

**_

Kakashi was snapped out of his thoughts as he nearly bumped into the back of the person in front of him. He remembered that day in his life all too well. It was the only time he ever hated the man that became a father to him. He hated the man for daring to sleep with a woman so closely related to one of the greatest traitors in the history of Konoha.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts out he looked to see why everyone has stopped. A quick glance to the sky told him it wasn't late enough to set up camp, but a flash of pink and blonde hair vanishing into the bushes ended up telling him all he needed to know.

'_I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since we left so quickly,'_ thought the man as everyone waited on the road.

The revelation he had when they left Tazuna's house was still throwing him for loops. He _knew_ this woman. If she was indeed, who he thought she was then that opened up possibilities that he really didn't want to think about. The fact that he had once walked in on her and his Sensei going at it like rabbits only served to irritate him more and cause him to look at a certain whisker marked boy.

'_If she really is his mother then does that mean… No, Sensei would have told me if he was expecting a child! Then again, right after that we had the mission where we lost Obito… I stopped talking to Arashi-sensei after I found out they were together. I thought she was just trying to get into his pants and would stab him in the back the way Orochimaru did to everyone else.'_

Kakashi was so caught up in his own inner turmoil that he never noticed the auburn haired woman behind him silently observing him. Even after being away from him for so long, she could still read his emotions. The subtle tensing of his shoulder, clenching of his hands, and slight shiver let her guess was going through his mind. Of course, it seemed that he had dropped several of his defenses when they left Tazuna.

Kakashi was normally a man who could mask and hide every one of his emotions. It was only once you grew accustomed to him that you would be able to notice the nuisances that marked a change in his emotions. The shock that Motoko was the mother of Naruto seemed to be a big enough shock to him that most of these had shut down while he became wrapped up in his thoughts.

"Alright we'll keep walking for a couple more hours and make camp for the night. We should be able to make it to Konoha by noon tomorrow without being tired," stated Asuma as he walked to the front of the pack of Shinobi.

It became obvious to most that at this point in time the "highest ranking Shinobi" present wasn't going to be able to take charge of the situation.

* * *

_**KONOHA**_

Yakushi Kabuto seemed to be one of the normal Shinobi you find in every village. In nearly every Shinobi village, you find that a portion of the ranks is made up of "Seasoned Genin." That term came about to distinguish a portion of the Genin ranks from the rest of the ranks. It normally meant that the Genin had been at that rank for several years. If you figured most Genin start at the tender age of 12, then your "Seasoned Genin" would be anyone around the age of 17 and older.

These Genin were often considered a joke among the ranks since they could never manage to advance to the next rank, Chunin. Some often take the test to advance several times and still don't manage to win the prestigious flak jacket worn by Chunin and higher.

Yakushi Kabuto was one of these Genin. He had no special skills listed in his file, nor did he ever display any openly hostile traits. He was just a bland individual who would likely retire as a Genin when he reached a certain age and try to find a new place in life. The fact that his file was _that_ bland is what called attention to him as Tsunade and the Sandaime started to review the files of every Shinobi in Konoha.

For a young man who was the adopted son of the Director of the hospital, he should have shown some skills in the medical field. Yet even when the situation presented itself, he never displayed any such skills. In missions where he was exposed to combat he always seemed to hesitate for a few seconds. To the untrained eye, it might seem like uncertainty but to the eyes of Anko it looked like someone restraining himself.

She had followed Kabuto around nearly every day since she was given this mission and yet she had not found anything to warrant a deeper investigation, raiding and searching his home while he was out. It was all beginning to become frustrating for the woman who wanted nothing more then to kick skulls in and take names. He was just too clean to be anything but bad news.

Oh she had found some nice information out about his teammates. Thankfully they didn't seem to have the skill to restrain themselves the way Kabuto did. From what she could tell they had taken part in at least one experiment that her former Sensei as known for. It was the only thing that could explain how Tsurugi Misumi had gained the ability to become seemingly boneless as he used his body like a boa constrictor.

That just made things all the more interesting for her. Just the thought of being able to track down the man who used her for his sick experiments and then tossed her aside made her blood boil. Yet she still needed to try to gain some kind of information they could use on Kabuto. She was already trying to work out a deal with the Aburame to see if they could send their colonies out and see if they found the man's scent anywhere it shouldn't be.

'_That is going to be rather time consuming though. Yet at the moment it's the only thing I can do to pin something to this slippery bastard,'_ mused Anko as chewed on a leftover stick from her one o'clock dango snack.

* * *

_**Konoha**_

It was already the following day and Jiraiya couldn't help but fidget around as he stood on the wall that surrounded Konoha. Reports had come back to him that the teams sent to Wave Country should be arriving within hours. Ever since he was given the report he had been standing on the great wall that protected Konoha. He wanted to know if his assumptions were correct. He had to know how Motoko had survived that night.

Since the teams had left Sarutobi, Tsunade, and himself had locked themselves away in the archives searching for clues as to what had happened that night. Every report they came across stated that the maternity ward had been struck by a stray jutsu while battling the Kyubi. This ended up setting off oxygen tanks and causing a massive fireball to consume that part of the hospital.

The strange thing about it was that the ward had been empty except for a single person, Kusanagi Motoko. All others had been evacuated to the shelters once Kyubi was seen coming towards Konoha. Motoko had gone into battle knowing she could possibly go into labor at any moment and had in fact done so when she was bringing some wounded back to the hospital. She was then rushed to a delivery room and worked on by one of her lover's students, Rin. This was where things started to look fishy to the three as they studied all the reports and compared it to the knowledge they had gained since Naruto took off.

The reports stated that the infant had died in the explosion along with the few nurses and Rin that were in that section of the hospital. No effort was put into trying to identify all of the bodies, since the maternity ward had been converted into a makeshift morgue to help clear up room in main part of the hospital. The only thing they had to go by was the brief notes made into a log that she had entered the hospital due to going into labor.

It didn't take someone of Tsunade's skill to know that there _should_ have been more work done to document her situation. It didn't take being Sarutobi to know that an investigation _had_ been done. He remembered reading the report himself as he reflected upon the lives lost that night. He remembered seeing the name of Arashi's wife on the report and dreading what would happen to Naruto. After they locked themselves away he searched for the scroll in the archives. He knew he wasn't senile and yet he could never find the document again. In its place was a scroll he didn't remember reading, with names that shouldn't have been listed.

It didn't take long for the three to decide that someone was trying to cover their tracks. Names and dates weren't matching up with their memories. People they thought had died years ago were listed as entering the hospital for treatment years after their deaths. People that Sarutobi remembered talking to were listed as M.I.A or K.I.A. during incidents he knew they couldn't have taken part in.

Then a disturbing pattern made itself known to Sarutobi. Many of those listed as killed in action were often people who had tried to defend Naruto at one point or another.

Jiraiya had to shiver as he remembered that tidbit of information. The village he had fought for had some how become so corrupt right under his nose. It hurt him knowing he had missed such things, but the pain he felt was nothing compared to that of Sarutobi. The Sandaime was devastated to realize that he had missed so much during the years.

'_All of this only makes me think about what Hikari said about the Biju. They show up when people are crossing lines that shouldn't be crossed, Kami's "divine executioners". I wonder if the gods are sitting around debating on destroying Konoha for what has happened,'_ thought the man as he moved to sit on the wall and look out to the forest.

All he could hope for is for Naruto and the rest to return home so key pieces of the puzzle could be put into play. If Rin and Motoko were truly alive then they no doubt held information that could cause a wave of change within Konoha, a change that seemed to be long over-due.

The white-haired sage could only smile as he thought about the things that could be done. The smile increased in size as he noticed a certain golden-blond moving through the trees with his trusty spyglass.

* * *

_**Motoko**_

She could smile as they broke through the tree line and could finally see the wall of the village she had once called home. The place she had sworn to protect with her life when certain events happened in her life. Events that had forced her closer to a man that she admired for being passionate about protecting those close to him.

The only thing that kept her from being as happy as the son by her side was the memory of what had happened the last time she was in the village. The stories she had heard from Rin as they were forced to travel around the Elemental Countries running from an army hell bent on killing them.

'_Army might not be the most appropriate term but I'm sure it felt like that to Rin,'_ mused the woman as she looked over to her friend and protector.

Years of life on the run didn't seem to have much of an affect on her but one look into her eyes would make anyone think she was older then she should be. The things she had to have seen and done while taking care of her charge would probably haunt the girl until the end of days. Even when relating the past thirteen years to Motoko she glossed over a great deal.

Yet she had also grown stronger through the ordeal. Most who knew the girl would probably only remember a petite child who could hardly look you in the eye let alone kill someone. No one would believe that she would fight off a squad of _Ne_ by herself or stand up to a demonic child seeking to crush her and her charge in a wave of sand. No, she might look like the Rin who left Konoha on the outside but on the inside she was someone completely different.

That was something Kakashi had found out firsthand.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Flashback**_

_It had been a long couple of hours before they finally decided it was time to set up camp. Assignments were handed out and completed as quickly as the little Genin could drop their packs and split off to their assigned tasks. In the case of Naruto gathering firewood was obscenely easy as he created ten clones and together brought back every dry piece of wood within 50 yards._

_What interested Motoko though was her friend Rin who was being _"discreetly" _followed by the brat Kakashi. She knew the two had yet to talk about everything that had transpired in the past and over the years. She also knew that Rin wasn't all that eager to talk to the person she had once loved only to have her heart crushed by the same man. Years of anger and resentment were bottled up and waiting to be unleashed on the poor unsuspecting Hatake as he moved to cut the woman off on her trip to the river._

_She knew she shouldn't pry but Rin was like a daughter to her now. She had been looked after for years by the girl and couldn't view her as anything _but_ family. She was slowly trying to make her way to the couple when the sound of flesh striking flesh was heard by her. Seconds later there was a thud as a body hit a tree and crumpled to the forest floor. What followed next she didn't need enhanced ears to hear._

"_I don't know you any more Hatake Kakashi. I thought I once knew you until Obito passed away! You changed after that and not in a good way. You started to withdraw from everyone on our team and you DARE question me about what I've been doing! The last time we talked you didn't care about me, Sensei, or Motoko-sama!"_

_The woman could easily be heard yelling at the scarecrow as he fought to stand up. He obviously didn't think she had grown much in strength over the years. What ever Rin had done seemed to knock him for a loop._

"_Don't you even dare try to make up excuses for what happened! You think you were the only one who was hurt by Obito passing? Did you forget he confessed his feelings to me as he asked me to give you his eye? Did you have any idea what that would do to a girl? No, you only cared about yourself and trying to keep a promise to him and yet you even failed to take care of me like he asked. WHY! WHY would you promise to Obito that you would take care of me then shut me and everyone else out of your life? Why would you start acting like him so soon after his death?"_

_The Kusanagi woman could see Kakashi trying to say something but being where she was didn't allow her to hear. What ever was said though only served to anger the already pissed Rin._

"_That's all you have to say? That you thought it would be best for me if you did that. You really are an idiot Kakashi. Did you think it was also best for Sensei that you treated him the same way, the man who saw you as a son? Oh yes, I know exactly why you started acting that way. You hated the idea of Motoko-sama being close to Sensei. You'd like everyone to think it was because of Orochimaru but he had nothing to do with the way you were acting."_

_Now things were getting close to home. She remembered when Kakashi had walked in on her and Arashi. She also remembered the hurt in the young-man's eyes when he saw the two together. The same pain could always been seen when Kakashi happened upon them walking down the street together or in the woods sparring with each other. She hated that she had come between her lover and his "son" and tried to break things off with the man, yet he wouldn't allow her to._

"_You were jealous of her! You were angry that someone else was so close to Arashi-sensei! You felt betrayed that he would harbor such feelings for someone other then you, the boy who ignored how big of a heart his Sensei had. It didn't stop there though did it Kakashi? After the Kyubi attacked you transferred that anger and jealousy onto another person. Someone who didn't deserve any of it."_

_Okay now it was time to put an end to things. If Rin kept on yelling too much information would be leaked. There were ears nearby that didn't need to know the dynamics between those involved in this story._

"_Rin-nee-chan," called someone from the forest before Motoko could jump over to the duo. She watched on as her son slowly walked out of the woods and towards the downed Kakashi and the fuming Rin._

"_It's alright Nee-chan, you shouldn't be yelling at an old friend that was worried about you and regretted his actions," said Naruto as he moved to help a startled Kakashi to his feet._

"_Everyone was hurting back then and needed something to vent on… I guess I should be angry that everyone decided to vent it on me but I think I'm a stronger person because of it. At the same time I'm glad they didn't direct their hate at others… I mean imagine how many more dysfunctional families there would have been if they couldn't vent on me," added the boy with a sad smile as he pulled the Jonin over his shoulder and started to walk back towards camp._

_Rin stood there stunned as the two walked off. She wasn't the only one stunned though since Kakashi hadn't said a word to Naruto as the two shuffled away. Motoko herself couldn't believe her ears really. The boy had every right to be angry and yet he was willing to forgive someone who played a key role in making his life hell._

"_He's so much like him, isn't he," asked Motoko as she landed next to Rin._

_The auburn-haired girl nodded dumbly as she looked in the direction Kakashi and Naruto had gone. Both remembered how forgiving Arashi had been when Kakashi changed. They knew he was hurt by the change but he was willing to forgive him for as long as it took. He would bare the pain to try to shield others from it._

_**

* * *

**_

_**End Flashback**_

She knew Rin had changed and she could only guess how much others had changed over the years.

'_I wonder how that little pit-viper is. From the way Naruto talks she has a wild streak in her but that seems to have changed after she and Ibiki adopted him.'_

Oh she knew Anko alright. After Orochimaru had left and then they found Anko wandering the woods battered and bloodied she had stayed close to the girl to find out anything she could about the traitor. This ended up causing the two to bond since they shared a similar pain, which neither would openly admit to anyone else. While she didn't want to admit it she couldn't help but wonder if she had influenced Anko's behavior.

She already knew Ibiki had been influenced somewhat, since black trench coats were never really in fashion within Konoha. The combat sandal style wasn't exactly something most Shinobi would wear either, many feeling that they were too bulky. Therefore, Anko wearing something that was somewhat provocative and being covered up by a trench coat made her wonder. The girl had made a few changes of course but it reminded her of something she had once worn.

This of course just reminded her how much odd it was that in a village as large as Konoha three people could happen across each other and share so many connections. One of her students and a girl she had all but adopted would happen across her son and take him under their wings. Some of it she could imagine the Sandaime had played a role in, them living in her old home for example. Other facets of their connection only seemed to happen by the will of the gods.

"Welcome back Teams 7, 8, and 10, Hokage-sama will be pleased to know that all of you have returned and in good health," greeted the Chunin guarding the gates of Konoha.

Each person handed over a small wallet that served as their passport and allowed to check the identity of the owner. It seemed foolish when Shinobi could easily kill one of them and use a simple transformation jutsu, but it often worked nonetheless. Part of what allowed it to work was the paper each passport was printed on, chakra paper made from special trees. These trees were feed chakra on a daily basis that allowed the paper made from it to gain special qualities. Some paper could be used to test the elemental affinities of a person.

The papers in these passports were marked with special seals that would memorize, for lack of a better term, the chakra signature of a person. Simple and yet effective. There were more then likely _other_ properties to this paper but those were never told to the regular forces. It was something only a select few knew within Konoha.

It was when Motoko and Rin offered their passports that things shifted from the norm. They were of course rather worn and old but that wasn't what surprised the two guards checking everyone. It was the information printed on the documents that caused heads to snap up and eyes to widen.

When you see a name like Kazama Kusanagi Motoko it's bound to get the attention of anyone. There was only one person known by Kazama and Kusanagi. One was dead and the other was the most known traitor to come from Konoha. Just the conflicting morals of the two made the pairing standout.

Both Chunin were stuttering at the proposed paper as the looked between the paper and the woman who had offered it. All of that came to an end when Jiraiya dropped down and took the wallet from the Chunin and handed it back to the purple-haired woman with a grin on his face.

"You two will forget about this, if me telling you this isn't enough then consider it an order from the Hokage. Got it?"

The man didn't wait for an answer as he stepped passed everyone and motioned for them to follow him through the gates.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Anko**_

She had decided to report her finding to the Hokage after managing to talk some Aburame, Aburame Shibi, into helping monitor her target. The main thing they had come across was Kabuto going into parts of the village Archives that housed a great deal of secret information. Information such as village defense plans, ANBU names, ranks, skills and identities. If it was something a Genin wasn't supposed to know he had viewed it.

She was sure that the Sandaime wouldn't be too pleased with the news and hated to be the one to give it to him.

As she was leaving the office she bumped into the last person she was expecting to see. That was the only thing that saved him from a beating as he went face first into her bountiful bosom. It was also the only reason she pulled the person into said bosom and smothered him.

"Naruto," screamed Anko as she hugged him close to her and shook him.

This caused a mixture of reactions as Team 7, 8, 10 and various others watched the scene. The female members of the teams gasped at the actions of the older woman, with Hinata being the least surprised. The male members, maybe member is a better term scowled as he wished he could be in the same situation, his little dog trying to bite his hear from the top of his head was easily missed as he imagined himself in Naruto predicament.

Asuma just turned away from the scene, well aware that Kurenai was already keeping a close eye on him. Said woman scowled for a second before smiling at the siblings and turning away to give them their moment. Kakashi only looked up for a second before quickly returning his face to his book. Rin stood there with her mouth open stunned at the scene, with Motoko trying to keep from laughing.

"Hey I thought I was the only one allowed there," pouted Iruka that caused a few more surprised squeaks and gasps, few dreamed of their former teacher ever being that open with his relationship.

It was Iruka's voice that caused Anko to pause her smothering of Naruto and turn look up at the man she had fallen for. Slowly her lip quirked up as she started to smile, he had never been so open about them being together, sure they had dates but she often said those kinds of remarks not him. Hearing him say that just made her shiver at the out of character remark. It also made it hard to be mad at him. She dropped Naruto to the floor and threw herself at Iruka who caught her and held her close.

"I missed you a lot Anko," whispered the scarred Chunin as Anko buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"Yeah thanks for nearly killing me Nee-chan," grumbled Naruto as he was helped up by Hinata.

"Well if you two want to spend some time together I suggest we hurry up and report to Sarutobi-sensei so you can be on your way," added Jiraiya as he tucked his notepad away and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

That was when Anko jumped away from Iruka and fought off the rare blush at such a public display of affection. She didn't mind _teasing_ Iruka in public but the gentler displays of affection tended to cause her to blush. The Chunin she was holding onto just smiled at her with a quick wink and a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter at the surprised look on his face.

"Yeah let's hurry up… I need to find a place to camp tonight since I won't get any sleep at home," chirped Naruto after he saw the wink from Iruka.

It was with that thought that everyone broke out in laughter and made their way into the Hokage's office. None of them saw the seething man that had quickly ducked around a corner, a bandaged hand with white knuckles as he squeezed his cane nearly crushing the handle.

* * *

Night had already fallen by the time Team 7, 8, and 10 had given a brief oral report to the Hokage, with orders to turn in a full detailed written report by the end of the week. With that majority of the students were dismissed and told to return home and get some well-earned rest.

Now only the Sandaime, Motoko, Rin, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Naruto stood in the office. Motoko and Rin seemed to be contempt with looking around the room, taking in the changes that had been made by Sarutobi after retaking the office. Jiraiya and Tsunade were glancing around between at the other three occupants of the room, both curious as to how things were going to play out. Naruto was showing a side seldom seen by the oldest Shinobi in the room.

"You seem to be nervous Naruto."

Naruto paused in his shifting and looked up at the Sandaime for the first time since he'd been in the office. He knew he had screwed up when he took off to Wave Country the way he did. How badly was still up in the air and he would never accept being let off with an insignificant punishment.

"I'm sorry I left like I did Jiji, I was just worried about everyone and couldn't wait around! Then finding out about…" Naruto trailed off as he looked over towards Motoko and Rin who were across from him in the little half circle they five had created.

"Ah yes, Kusanagi Motoko and Rin. The secret wife of Kazama Arashi and one of his only three students, both of whom were reported as dead during the Kyubi attack years ago. I must say I was shocked to learn that you two were still alive," added the Sandaime as he decided to cut Naruto some slack, for now.

He had leveled his gaze at the two women as if he was trying to intimidate them into cracking. As much as he would like to believe this turn of events, being a Shinobi often taught you to doubt such news.

"I can assure you Hiruzen the news of our demise was greatly exaggerated. Had it not been for Rin though the news might have been true. It was only due to her facts actions after Arashi left with Naruto that I even survived to this day, even if I spent most of it in a coma until recently."

That last piece of information seemed to perk Tsunade up, if only because of the medical implications. From what she had seen the woman didn't appear to suffer from any symptoms that would normally show from spending twelve years in a coma.

"If you would though I'd like to know more about the situation that you and Naruto found yourself in. You see one of the people who attacked you should have been locked away in prison; so of course I'm rather disturbed at the fact that not only did he escape but it was never found out," questioned Sarutobi, willing to let Tsunade and Jiraiya cover the missing years at a later time. Right now he had a leak in security that he needed to plug and fast.

"I think I can answer that for you, Hokage-sama," answered Rin quickly. "The men were from _that _group that Arashi-sama disbanded shortly after taking office. I only know because I've spent the last twelve years fighting them off and managed to keep a few alive long enough to gain some information about them through some rather unpleasant means," added the auburn haired woman as she quickly stood and started to pace the room.

By now Jiraiya had pulled out a notepad to document the information to pursue further after the meeting as well as just take notes on how this rather unassuming woman might have managed to crack one of the darkest secrets in Konoha's history. He wasn't disappointed.

Through the years Rin had learned a great deal about the _Ne_ who followed Danzo. She learned of the seal that Danzo had placed on majority of his soldiers to keep them from betraying him, which was also the easiest way to spot one his special ANBU. As with all seals there are ways around them. Since Danzo was mainly worried about his people speaking of him, he had of course forgotten that there are other ways to communicate. It was during one such session that Rin had finally "talked" one of them into spilling his guts, literally and figuratively.

Danzo was after Motoko as a way to keep certain things secret, such as her relationship with the Yondaime Hokage and Uzumaki Naruto. He wanted to try to use her blood as a mean to gain entrance into the home of the Yondaime to spirit away the information locked within. Of course that wasn't all that he wanted.

Everyone sat in silence as they soaked in what Rin had told them. No one was stunned more then Naruto at the things this "Danzo" person had tried. Yet at the same time certain puzzle pieces started to fall into place for him. All the times his ANBU guard had just happened to be looking the other way. All of the break-ins that happened when he, Anko, and Ibiki first moved into their new home.

"I see. This is rather disturbing news. I've had suspicions that Danzo had started Root back up but I had never thought it was this far along. I do not doubt the validity of your claims but…"

"He has the support of a large portion of the council and the only way you could do anything is if you caught him red handed," cut in Motoko, already knowing the situation.

Sarutobi nodded his head with a scowl on his face, showing what he thought of the entire situation. Tsunade and Jiraiya both looked like they had swallowed baskets full of lemons with the sour look on their faces.

"We have majority of the Shinobi council on our side but the civilians have slowly started to take control of things with the help of Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. With my students coming back to Konoha in recent years I've managed to stall them and have worked on changing that," added the Sandaime, ensuring his dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs was known.

"Since you've showed up though we've gone into overdrive kicking over rocks to dig up more dirt on our mutual friend," added Jiraiya seeing the scowl on the woman's face. The next couple of hours were spent discussing the Council, Danzo, Konoha, and Naruto's life from the various perspectives gathered in the room.

Of course that didn't mean Naruto was privy to the conversation currently taking place. He was currently occupied with his eyes closed and gently snoring in the lap of Hikari within his mindscape.

* * *

_**Hinata**_

Homecoming for he others went as one would expect for the group after everything that had happened on their missions.

Hinata was welcomed home by her Father and Sister, both of whom were please to see she was alright, even if she had a bandage around her head and arms. Neither of them could wait until she was settled in to hear the story behind her wounds and the sudden deployment of forces to the Land of Waves. Of course Hiashi had a small idea of why ANBU, Jonin, and Chunin had been deployed after a briefing from the Hokage. That didn't mean he knew the entire story, a story that was bound to come up at the next council meeting.

Similar events went on all around Konoha as Clan Leaders and parents welcomed their children home and inquired what had happened in the land just off the coast of the Land of Fire. Shikamaru was spared talking to his mom as he was quickly pulled away into his Father's library and asked about the mission. Kiba was able to forgo a flea bath, something all Inuzuka are required to do when returning from another country, just so he could tell his mother what happened.

All of the parents were met with different results. Kiba was more then willing to boast about what happened on the trip. In doing so he let some information slip out that shouldn't have been mentioned to the general population yet. It wasn't the news of Motoko's return that would end up causing an uproar, but the story of an unknown weapon being used by Gatoh's thugs that garnered the most attention. After all such weapons would cause a revolution in the way battles were fought.

Others like Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata, Chouji, and Sakura were able to keep their lips sealed regarding information they deemed "eye's only". Maybe it was from their training, many of them having grown up with Naruto and exposed to the likes of Anko, Ibiki, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. Knowing what field each of them worked in allowed them to understand when information could be shared and when it shouldn't. Strange weapons and the secrets of their Friend and teammate was something they would guard with their life.

When she had given a brief recollection of the events Hinata was finally able to retire to her room and flop down on her bed for the first time in a long time. She couldn't help but snuggle deeper into the soft mattress as she let all the familiar feeling set in and slowly drifted off to sleep. Again similar events were happening all over Konoha as the Genin retired for the night and never the wiser to what changes their homecoming would bring to the village.

Yet perhaps that was for the best as sometimes ignorance is bliss.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah yeah I know I know. No need to remind me how horrible I am at updating. I would have liked to make this longer but didn't feel like forcing things. From here it should be easy to see what the next Arc may be. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and don't feel the need to hunt me down and torture me in every painful way imaginable.


End file.
